Liverpool Marketing Solutions discusses James Caan's recent comments on parents helping their children into employment

James Caan, of 'Dragons Den' fame, has recently expressed his views on parents involvement in children's career choices.

After recently becoming the government’s new advisor on social mobility, James Caan has expressed his belief that children should '"find their own way". He has said that children should be offered employment based not on "who you know rather than what you can do". He has said he can understand why parents feel they need to help but he said: "I think allowing children the opportunity to develop and find their own way through life is very good for society and very good for the kids." He has also stated that his role as an entrepreneur was to "raise awareness that businesses should open their doors to all".

Liverpool Marketing Solutions has always emphasised the importance of equal opportunities in business and the fact that people should be rewarded on their efforts and not for any other reason. Chris Haynes, Managing Director of Liverpool Marketing Solutions says "We have a no seniority policy here at Liverpool Marketing Solutions. There is no favouritism and we reward contractors on objective criteria not on how long they have been trading with the business or whether they know anybody that is involved in the business. We believe that it is really important not only to get the best results from our suppliers and contractors but to give everyone an equal opportunity regardless of their background."

Mr Caan has been chosen to lead the government's Opening Doors campaign to encourage businesses to have "open and fair" recruitment processes. Moira McKerracher, assistant director at the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES), said: "Although it's probably unrealistic to expect people to stop helping their children, Mr Caan raises an important point. "Our research shows that the most common way for people to get a job is now word of mouth. That might be cheap, but it's got a lot of disadvantages. It relies on people having social and professional networks - a 'grapevine' - which young people often don't have. When they do, it's often through their parents. And it narrows down the potential pool of talent for employers, who could be missing out on some fantastic staff."

A UKCES report published in March found the proportion of staff getting jobs through "word of mouth" had risen from 24% in 2010 to 29% in 2012. The report noted there had been a "corresponding drop" in the number of employers formally advertising vacancies.

Responding to Mr Caan's appeal to parents, a spokesman for David Cameron told a Westminster briefing: "In this area, I think you would expect every parent to want the best for their children. I think what's really important here is that, no matter where you are from, you should be able to succeed and fulfil your potential."

Chris Haynes of Liverpool Marketing Solutions says "It is obvious from the statistics that there is still unfair practice sometimes in the recruitment process. James Caan spoke on business at one of our award ceremonies in January 2012 and it was clear then that he has a lot of good policies when it comes to this area. We definitely agree with what he is trying to achieve and hope that the recruitment process becomes fairer in the coming years."