"We are delighted to be involved in the City Talent Initiative. I commend the Social Mobility Foundation for creating such valuable connections for young high performers at a critical stage of their personal development."

Bankof America Merrill Lynch is proud to announce its participation in the Social Mobility Foundation's City Talent Initiative. With cross-party support from the Rt. Hon. David Lammy MP, Mark Field MP and Baroness Kramer, the initiative encourages high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds to consider a university education and a career at a leading City firm.

Starting this summer - and for five consecutive years - five Year 12 students will spend two weeks at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's London headquarters, as they progress from school to university. To ensure sustainability in their training and to provide one-on-one support, each student will be mentored by a vice president and a full-time campus graduate.Through a combination of on-site experience, work-shadowing and presentation and time management training, the students will gain exposure to employees of all levels across banking, markets, risk, and technology. Their path to a City career will be further facilitated through mock interviews and UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) preparation sessions.

Alex Wilmot-Sitwell, president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said, "We are delighted to be involved in the City Talent Initiative. I commend the Social Mobility Foundation for creating such valuable connections for young high performers at a critical stage of their personal development."

David Johnston, chief executive of the Social Mobility Foundation added, "We are so pleased that Bank of America Merrill Lynch is joining the Social Mobility Foundation's City Talent Initiative. This is precisely the kind of prestigious organisation that young people we support aspire to work for in the future, but all too often can't access. Our partnership is a very important statement of the bank's commitment to finding and supporting the talent of tomorrow irrespective of background."

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Corporate Responsibility
Developing solutions for social and economic challenges is at the core of Bank of America Merrill Lynch's responsibility platform.In more than 90 countries around the world, we partner with employees, clients and stakeholders to help make financial lives better. The firm focuses on responsible business practices, environmental sustainability, advancing opportunity in local communities through education and employability programmes and investing in global leadership development. We realise the power of our people and value our differences, recognising that our diversity makes us a stronger firm and allows us to better service our stakeholders. By harnessing our intellectual resources, sharing knowledge and connecting capital with need, we are providing opportunities that effect positive change. Learn more at www.bankofamerica.com/about and follow us on Twitter at @BofA_News.

www.bankofamerica.com

The Social Mobility Foundation
The Social Mobility Foundation is a charity which supports young people from low income backgrounds into universities and professions via programmes of mentoring, internships, university application support and skills development.

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Reporters May Contact:
Elizabeth Wood, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, +44 (0)20 7995 7731
elizabeth.wood@baml.com

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