Severn Trent’s commitment to improving social mobility in the Midlands has again been recognised, as it is named as one of the top performing companies in the UK.

For the fifth year running, the Midlands based company has been placed in the top ten in the latest Social Mobility Employer Index, coming in at eighth. Severn Trent joins other UK companies positively recognised for their work such as Accenture, Department for Work and Pensions and KPMG UK.

Now in its seventh year, the Social Mobility Index ranks UK employers on the actions they’re taking to ensure they’re open to accessing and progressing talent from all backgrounds. It helps to promote fairness in who gets in, who gets on and who belongs in the workplace by assessing the steps being taken by employers to ensure talent from all social backgrounds is considered.

Severn Trent’s work in this area includes:

recruiting 40% of new apprentices and graduates from a lower socio-economic backgrounds completed its commitment to provide over 100,000 hours of free employability training for anyone living in its region

provided young people from low-income families with financial support through university with funding and internships

a commitment that by 2030 it will have helped 100,000 people with gaining skills and training to help with finding work, while lifting them out of water poverty

commitment to create 500 work experience opportunities a year for young people, as it partners with schools in some of the most deprived areas in the Midlands

Neil Morrison, HR Director at Severn Trent, said:

“We’re really lucky that our region is full of diversity, and we want to make sure our workforce reflects that so we’re incredibly proud of placing in the top ten for another year. There’s pools of untapped talent and skills within our communities that we know help us deliver the best service for our customers. That’s why we work hard to make sure that we’re reaching all corners of our region to help give everyone the same opportunity, and truly believe in recruiting on someone’s potential, not their previous experience or qualifications.”

Severn Trent recently announced it is creating 7,000 jobs for the Midlands, either directly or through its supply chain.

The company will be looking for skills and experience for a variety of roles, as well as continuing to have lots of opportunities like placements, apprenticeships and internships that are available for anyone, regardless of background.