Social Mobility
Social mobility centres around the concept that everyone, regardless of their socio-economic background, should be able to thrive and do well. This means that the same career opportunities should be open to you regardless of whether you come from a lower income household, were the first in your family to attend university and/ or in receipt of a means tested grant.
- Equality & Diversity - Social & Class Issues Explore your rights and issues to be aware of when dealing with employers.
Support and advice
The following websites may be of use to you.
- Sutton Trust Think Tank aiming to improve social mobility through education.
- Social Mobility Foundation Charity working to improve social mobility of young people from low income backgrounds.
Finding employers committed to social mobility
Graduate Employers
Social mobility is increasingly becoming high on the agenda for organisations. Many graduate employers are now choosing to monitor and record the social background of applicants in order to attract and retain a more socially diverse workforce. The following resources list employers dedicated to creating a social diverse workforce:
- Members of the Social Mobility Compact By signing up to this Government initiative, employers commit to opening their doors to people from all walks of life.
- Guardian 300 employer preferences according to schooling Popular employers amongst those who went to state, private and overseas schools (page 18).
- Members of the Employment Network for Equality & Inclusion
Internships & Work Experience
A number of programmes specifically designed for students from certain socio-economic backgrounds also exist. Financial support is also available in order to enable you to gain experience.
- Support from the Careers Service Find out about the equality and social mobility projects we run.
- British Council Generation UK UK Scheme aims to boost the employability and job prospects of UK students. Funded opportunities existfor those who would not normally have the financial means to undertake an internship or study in China
- Civil Service Summer Diversity Internship Open to those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
- CRCC Asia Scholarship Enables students to participate in the China Internship Programme whose financial circumstancesmight otherwise prevent them from applying.
- Sutton Trust - Our Programmes Support programmes for young people from less advantaged backgrounds to access leading universities and careers.
