Duncan & Toplis joins social mobility initiative

East Midlands accountancy and business adviser, Duncan & Toplis has become a partner of social mobility initiative, Rise.

Rise, which launched last year, was set up to teach life skills to young people from low socio-economic backgrounds.

As a Rise partner, Duncan & Toplis will provide volunteers to support sessions and develop relationships with schools in communities across the East Midlands, with particular emphasis on Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire where its 11 offices are based.

In the course of this academic year, Rise will deliver 50 workshops to 3,000 pupils at schools across the UK, increasing to 100 workshops to 6,000 pupils in the 2022-23 year. The workshops are delivered by educational charity, the Talent Foundry and supported by Rise partners across the country.

The initiative, which was launched in 2021 by the chartered accountancy body ICAEW with some of the UK’s largest accountancy firms, was established to help young people from low socio-economic backgrounds realise and raise their aspirations. The initiative aims to ensure everyone can have the skills required to succeed in life and work.

Heidi Thompson, HR director at Duncan & Toplis said:

“Talent doesn’t depend on your socio-economic background, but it’s an unfortunate fact that this often forms an invisible barrier when it comes to people’s careers. We’re delighted to be joining Rise to help people succeed.”

Sharon Spice, Director, Global Marketing, Brand and Belonging, ICAEW, said:

“We’re delighted to welcome our new partners to the Rise programme. Their contribution will make a real difference to young people, especially those who have had to play catch up on their studies after their education was impacted by the pandemic.

“Rise has already had a tangible impact on young people’s lives, so we are very pleased to extend the programme further and look forward to the positive difference all our new partners will make.”