Stephen Twigg has called on leading businesses from across the capital to offer every London school the opportunity to forge a high quality link with a major London enterprise.

The education minister wants employers to act as sponsors, allow staff time off to act as mentors for children studying GCSE exams and advise on careers.

Forum Response: Unilever

Richard Greenhalgh, chairman of Unilever UK, said: "Unilever recognised the challenges and opportunities facing London schools in 1997 when we formed the Unilever East London Schools Partnership.

"Today, both the schools and Unilever are reaping the benefits of this relationship. We invite other businesses to embrace the London Business Challenge and to discover the mutual benefits that await those companies willing to commit to genuine and sustainable partnerships."

Forum Response: Institute of Directors

A spokesman for the IoD told ePolitix.com: "We fully support closer links between business and schools. If we are to bring about a genuine enterprise culture in the UK, it is vital that we engender an enterprising spirit of creativity in our young people and that they have every opportunity to express that in their working lives."

Forum Response: Barclays

A spokeswoman for Barclays told ePolitix.com: "Barclays demonstrates its commitment to education and life-long learning through a wide range of activities and charity programmes.

"Across the UK Barclays regional community programme supports schools in a variety of ways and Barclays employees provide much needed voluntary help in their local schools.

"An example of our support, is Harlesden Primary school where our employees helped to create a Queens Jubilee Garden, fundraised and assisting young people with reading in the classrooms.

"A true partnership project was our donation of £20,000 to Deansfield Primary school in Eltham to create a Cloiste MultiFaith Garden in partnership with the University of Greenwich Architecture students, Millenium Volunteers, parents from the school and Barclays volunteers. Children created designs using the pupils school council and a post graduate student, who also works for HRH Prince of Wales, managed the project.

"This year we also continued our support for London Schools and the Black Child, a Conference looking for answers to the problems facing black children in London Schools, especially boys.

"In 2002 Barclays global commitment to the community amounted to £32 million, which includes 1 per cent of UK pre-tax profits. As one of the UK's largest corporate community contributors, the bank aims to achieve real and lasting benefit both for the community and Barclays, by supporting education, social inclusion, people with disabilities, the arts and the environment."