Read: New awards launched to celebrate levelling up pioneers
New awards have been launched to celebrate the work of organisations across the UK who are playing a leading role in levelling up.
The Levelling Up Goals Awards will recognise those organisations that are committed to boosting opportunity and being truly purpose-led.
MPs throughout the UK are being asked to nominate organisations from their constituencies for the 14 different award categories which are focused on equality of opportunity at key life stages.
The categories are based around the ‘Levelling Up Goals’ launched earlier this year by former Education Secretary Rt Hon Justine Greening. The Goals provide a benchmark for activity focused on driving equality of opportunity from early years through to careers, alongside barriers such as the digital divide, health and infrastructure.
The Levelling Up Goals Awards are Co-Chaired by former Minister for Public Health Seema Kennedy OBE and Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington. Broadcast online on Friday 29th April, the Awards will take place at Darlington Hippodrome.
Seema Kennedy OBE
Seema Kennedy OBE said: “The 2021 Levelling Up Goals Awards will celebrate the work underway in our communities to build back even better after the devastation of the pandemic. And where better to hold our first Awards than Darlington - the new home of Treasury North and a first-hand example of the power of levelling up.
“Accelerated by the pandemic, we are seeing a real shift in the expectations of organisations and their wider role within society. The Levelling Up Goals are a powerful new architecture for policy makers, businesses, universities and others to report on their own impact and identify areas where more needs to be done.
“This is a crucial moment for our country and I’m looking forward to celebrating those organisations that are helping their communities level up.”
Peter Gibson MP added: “Levelling up is this Government’s overarching mission so I’m delighted to be co-chairing these awards. I’m especially interested to find those organisations that are making a tangible difference on the ground in their communities, because that’s a big part of how we will level up Britain.
“It’ll be great for Darlington to host the launch of these awards and comes on the back of a lot of good news for our town. I fought hard alongside Mayor Ben Houchen and Darlington Borough Council to attract the Treasury and Department for International Trade to base their campuses here. Government, business and civic society working hand in hand is a perfect example of levelling up in action and I’m pleased Darlington is leading the way.”
The awards will be sponsored by the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility, which supports organisations across the UK that work with young people to achieve their potential.
Its founder, entrepreneur David Harrison, who also co founded the national Social Mobility Pledge, said: “I am a life-long believer in social mobility and I’m an example of it. Through our work at the Harrison Centre and with the Social Mobility Pledge, it’s clear that businesses are great engines of social mobility and there are countless other organisations doing fantastic work with young people right across our country.
“The levelling up awards will shine a spotlight on those successes so we can share ideas that work and that are making a practical difference to people’s life chances. I’m looking forward to reading the nominations.”
For more information about the Levelling Up Goals Awards 2021 visit https://www.levellingupgoals.org/
The Levelling Up Goals Awards 2021 categories are:
Strong foundations in Early Years
Successful school years
Positive destinations Post 16+
Right advice and experiences
Open recruitment
Fair career progression
Widening access to savings & credit
Good health and wellbeing
Extending enterprise
Closing the digital divide
Infrastructure for opportunity
Building homes & sustainable communities
Harness the energy transition
Achieve equality, through diversity & inclusion