York St John University partners with awards to celebrate levelling up champions

York St John University has partnered with the Levelling Up Awards which will recognise those organisations that are committed to boosting opportunity and being truly purpose-led.

MPs, businesses and universities throughout the UK are being asked to nominate organisations 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 Awards are co-chaired by former Minister for Public Health Seema Kennedy OBE and Peter Gibson, MP for Darlington. Broadcast online on Friday 29 April, the Awards will take place at Darlington Hippodrome.

Seema Kennedy OBE said: “The 2021 Levelling Up 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.”

For more information about the Levelling Up Awards 2021 visit www.levellingupgoals.org/nominate.

The Levelling Up 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