A government minister has called on big business to provide more opportunities to people from disadvantaged backgrounds and cited a successful initiative in Glasgow.

Priti Patel, UK Employment Minister, told 150 business leaders at a London conference on the issue that the recruitment market was buoyant but over half of employers were struggling to fill their roles. “That’s why it’s more important than ever for businesses to cast their recruitment net further and wider than before. Although a wind of change has been blowing through the business world, myths remain about employing ex-offenders, care leavers, homeless people and long-term unemployed people.”

The minister cited 20-year-old Mark Dayer, who went into care when he was five and struggled at school. “At the age of 16, he felt he was facing a life of unemployment and homelessness, but then things changed. Marriott Hotels in Glasgow saw Mark’s potential and gave him a job as a waiter. His manager recognised him as the most reliable member of his team, and he was promoted to breakfast chef. He is now beginning an apprenticeship with Marriott as an electrical engineer. He has not only transformed his own life.....but he is shaping his employer’s fortunes too.”

Among other companies leading the way were Virgin Trains, Greggs, Iceland, M&S, Hyundai, National Grid, Fujitsu, Cisco, and Carillion, Ms Patel said.

Fewer than one in five employers in a recent YouGov survey thought that becoming more inclusive would boost their revenues. “This compares to 60 per cent of businesses that say supporting people from disadvantaged background into work has increased employee engagement and morale.”

Tricia Rainey at Marriott Hotels in Glasgow said Mr Dayer had in 2011 been one of eight entrants onto a programme set up by the hotel in collaboration with the Care Leavers Employment Service, the education, housing and employment services, and the Scottish Training Foundation.

“A walk around the lobby, bar, concierge, banqueting, housekeeping, leisure club or restaurant departments and you will almost certainly see a young person who started with us one of our programmes and who has now become a permanent member of staff. This is good for the young people, good for business and good for society.”

The hotel is currently engaged with four high schools in the east end of Glasgow and South Lanarkshire, “delivering real life work experience together with industry standard certification that will make these young people more employable when they are ready to leave school”, Ms Rainey said.

“ We work with the Princes Trust and have developed a Get Into Hotels programme for them. We also deliver programmes for longer term unemployed people who have no qualifications which can make, securing a job very difficult.

“They all get first class training, work placements, mentors or coaches to help them reach their goals. We have had great success working on our own or with partner organisations in lifting the aspirations of those who attend our programmes.”

The Glasgow work is part of Marriott’s Europe-wide World of Opportunity initiative. Last month the company ran a You Eat We Give promotion in aid of the Prince’s Trust and it employability courses.