Two senior executives of LGPS Central Ltd. will be making career opportunities within the U.K. retirement and investment management industry more accessible to students from less advantaged backgrounds.
The £45 billion ($63 billion) U.K. pool of local government pension schemes has joined the U.K. charity upReach's latest program, Investment Industry Springboard, which connects firms in the investment industry with students raised in less privileged families.
LGPS Central will take on up to six students to start in September, and they will be mentored by CIO Gordon Ross and Ian Brown, head of private markets.
The pension pool is looking for mentees who are living in economically disadvantaged regions in the U.K., people whose family members did not go to university or those who grew up in foster homes, a spokeswoman said.
Messrs. Ross and Brown will help mentees write resumes, complete job applications and polish interview skills in an effort to help them prepare for graduate programs at the pool or at other organizations in the industry. Mentees, depending on their age, could receive mentoring for more than a year. Students who will soon receive their degree will be given training to apply for the graduate programs.
"This is a chance to make a real difference to those who may not have had the same opportunities that others around them have been fortunate enough to enjoy," Mr. Ross said in a news release.
