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Opportunity Areas target high employer engagement

Students in schools within the new “Opportunity Areas” are to receive at least four encounters with employers during their secondary education as part of the government’s plan to drive up social mobility.

The target is based on existing evidence showing that the more exposure to employers students have the higher their chances of employment and the higher their future earnings are likely to be.

The first six Opportunity Areas were revealed by education secretary Justine Greening during her address to the Conservative Party Conference earlier this month.

They are to be West Somerset, Norwich, Blackpool, Scarborough, Derby and Oldham. The areas, which have been identified by the government’s Social Mobility Commission as the most challenged when it comes to social mobility, will have access to funding to address some of the barriers they face. Further Opportunity Areas are to be unveiled later this year, the DfE has confirmed.

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