Milburn calls for end to 'closed shop' professions

The government's social mobility adviser Alan Milburn has called for radical action to break up the "closed shop" of British professions.

In an interview with the Guardian, Milburn suggested that Britain is even further from an "opportunity society" than it was in the 1970s.

The former cabinet minister was tasked by the prime minister with looking at ways to open up professions to those who are less socially mobile.

The leading Blairite politician is due to publish his final report in the summer. But in the interview with the paper, Milburn hinted that he will be recommending changes to internship recruitment.

The internship process disproportionately merits the wealthy and those who live in the South-East, he suggested.

He explained: "The evidence is that these internships work on the basis of who you know and not what you know.

"They can be prohibitively expensive for people from poorer backgrounds, but often you cannot get a job in a profession without this kind of work experience. It is a vicious circle."

And Milburn suggested that private schools would be forced to do more to earn their status as a charitable institution.

This could include working more with the community or teaching 'soft skills' to local state school pupils.

Research published by the Cabinet Office today shows that the professional classes are increasingly drawn from wealthier families.

It found that in nine out of twelve professions, there has been a rise in the proportion of people from better-off households.

The government also found a link between private education and an ability to gain a job in the most competitive professions.

Only seven per cent of the population attended independent schools up to GCSE level, yet 75 per cent of judges, 70 per cent of finance directors, 45 per cent of top civil servants and 32 per cent of MPs were privately educated.

The Chartered Management Institute welcomed Milburn's initial report.

Petra Wilton, director of policy and research at the CMI, said: "As the report highlights, most of the new jobs in the economy over the long term will be at management levels.

"Too many young people still don’t understand the management profession or the routes available to them to become a professional manager."

She called for improved funding to help management apprenticeships make a real impact on entry to the profession.

Wilton continued: "With over three-quarters of the workforce of 2020 already in work, there is a strong need to support entry into the profession throughout individuals' careers.

"The withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower qualifications had a disproportionate effect on management studies, and the government should carefully review the impact of this decision."