upReach | Social Mobility

The partnership is offering students:

🔹 Free one-to-one career coaching
🔹Skill-boosting events and comprehensive resources
🔹An exclusive Insight Day at the Met Office's Exeter HQ
🔹Career pathways in engineering, project delivery, science, and technology

#SocialMobility #Careers

🎉 🌡️ Exciting news! We're partnering with the Met Office to open doors to weather science careers!

Read the full press release here: upreach.org.uk/news/met-off...

Ready to discover how meteorological science shapes our world? Students can apply to join our programme today!

ENGAGE

At upReach, we work with top financial services firms every day to break down these barriers. From the trading floor to the boardroom, socio-economic inclusion starts with access - and leadership from the top.

Learn more: upreach.org.uk/bankingfinan...

🔹 In over half of firms, no senior leaders come from both an ethnic minority and lower socio-economic background (SEB)
🔹Men from higher SEBs are 3.4x more likely to reach senior roles than women from lower SEBs
🔹London accounts for more than half of senior jobs, blocking regional talent progression

Who gets to the top in UK financial services?

New data from Progress Together shows what many of us already know: employees from lower socio-economic backgrounds in financial services take 16% longer to reach senior roles than their privileged peers 🚨

#UKPolitics #SocialMobility #Finance

Targeted maintenance grants: REINTRODUCED! ✅

Today, the government announced the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for students from lower-income backgrounds.

💯 Another win for fairness in education!

#UKPolitics #SocialMobility

@upreach.bsky.social CEO Nick Bent asks why social mobility has been a neglected part of the inclusion agenda.

Panellists reflect on the current state of the UK labour market and the complexity of measuring class, and defining what 'working class' is.

Opportunities like this open doors for students from less-advantaged backgrounds ✨
By building networks, exposure & confidence, our Associates gain the tools to thrive in top careers; that’s how we drive social mobility forward.

From “Changing the World Before You Graduate” to front-row seats at “The Interactive Clinic on AI and Careers” 💡our Associates boosted their commercial awareness and deepened their understanding of the industry.

We were delighted to be back at the FT Weekend Festival!
Thanks to our partner Bank of America, 25 upReach Associates got exclusive access to inspiring discussions on AI, leadership, and the future of the world economy. #SocialMobility

Our CEO Nick Bent comments:

"We thank our friends at the Sutton Trust for the 'Elitist Britain' report and we fully endorse all five policy recommendations, which chime closely with upReach's mission and priorities."

#SocialMobility #Class #Research #Elitism #Report

🚨 New @suttontrust.bsky.social research is a sobering read:

➡️ Britain's most powerful people are STILL 5x more likely to be privately educated than the general population.

➡️ While only 7% of the population have received private education, 36% of people in top roles attended fee-paying schools.

Massive thanks to our brilliant panel: Isabel Berwick, Professor Gina Neff, Resham Kotecha, Nick Bent, and Lynne Peabody.

And huge gratitude to the Social Mobility Commission for hosting this crucial conversation!

#SocialMobility #AI #Inclusion #ArtificialIntelligence

AI usage among students has grown from 66% → 92% in one year, but students from lower socio-economic backgrounds are still more likely to report not using AI at all.

Will AI be the great equaliser or entrench privilege further? This is exactly what we sought to address in our panel discussion.

🤖 This week we were invited to host an AI & Social Mobility panel discussion at the Social Mobility Commission's Summer Symposium.

The session was a powerful reminder that we're at a crossroads.

✨ With 500+ submissions, being shortlisted is a massive achievement. Winners will be announced on 13th November in Edinburgh — we’ll be keeping our fingers crossed 🤞

🔗 View the full shortlist: www.the-awards.co.uk/2025/en/page...

#THEAwards #SocialMobility #HigherEducation #EDI #University

📊 Our 2023/24 impact:

✅ 60 students supported (doubled from previous year) 👏 — with half previously eligible for Free School Meals
✅ 133 one-to-one career coaching sessions delivered 💬
✅130 CV/application reviews ✍️
✅100% of 2024 graduates have gone into graduate employment or further study 🎓

🌟 Our collaborative Liverpool Rise programme breaks down barriers for students from low-income backgrounds as they pursue top graduate opportunities.

Thrilled to announce our partnership with the University of Liverpool has been shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award in the Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion category! 🎉

Living costs are rising, and competition is fierce, but talented students from all backgrounds deserve their chance.

That's why upReach exists - to level the playing field and create real pathways to opportunity 🚀

Discover our mission: www.upreach.org.uk

#GraduateJobs #SocialMobility #Careers

It’s been a terrible year to graduate and find a job Students are making more job applications than ever — and their success rate is among the lowest in at least 30 years

Our CEO Nick Bent highlighted how this hits working-class students hardest: without family networks or spare rooms for unpaid London internships, routes to careers can be closed off.

Read his comments in full here: www.ft.com/content/867f...

Sobering but important piece in @financialtimes.com this weekend featuring our work at upReach 🧵

This year's graduates face the toughest job market in decades - making 21+ applications each but with success rates at 30-year lows.

Ministers are right: Fast Stream internship reforms will finally open Civil Service doors to working class talent. | Nick Bent FRSA "Class-exclusive internships are unfair!" Let me change your mind in 3 minutes. I've just published my thoughts on Whitehall's game-changing announcement: Fast Stream internships will be EXCLUSIVEL...

📝 Our CEO, Nick Bent has also written an article on why driving diversity in the public sector is a powerful first step in driving change. Read his blog here: www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-b...

#SocialMobility #CivilService #GraduateEmployment #WorkExperience #PublicSector

#socialmobility #civilservice #graduateemployment #workexperience #publicsector | upReach 📢 “Fairness is the most important principle at stake.” Our Director of Programmes, Hannah Stoddart, spoke to LBC News' James Hanson about the importance of improving social mobility in the civil serv...

🌍 A representative civil service will only make society stronger

www.linkedin.com/posts/upreac...

upReach's Director of Programmes shared on LBC News why improving social mobility in the civil service matters.

⚖️Fairness means levelling a system that already excludes the working class
🎓Even top graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds still face barriers

Our CEO Nick Bent appeared on LBC to discuss the growing financial pressures on working class students: www.instagram.com/p/DNNR-GwTgX6/

Students from low income backgrounds have to do tons of part-time work, which interferes with their studies" and prevents them building "employability skills" 🚨

upReach Associates & Alumni heard about navigating the early stages of a legal career, with a particular focus on the Solicitors Qualifying Examination, at the ‘SQE Insights: Pathway to Qualification’ event with Macfarlanes! #LegalSector #SocialMobility #SQE #TrainingContract

Recent LSE graduates recognised at social mobility awards Gracie Coulwill and Imaan Kamran Malik, have been recognised at the Student Social Mobility Awards, organised by the charity upReach.

🏆 Fantastic to see our alum, Imaan, recognised by the LSE for winning the Outstanding Legal Achievement award at this year's @upreach.bsky.social Student Social Mobility Awards.

Read more about her great work supporting and mentoring aspiring law students ⤵️

www.lse.ac.uk/News/Latest-...

And that’s a wrap! Huge shout out to all the nominees, judges, sponsors, and the upReach team for helping to make tonight’s Student Social Mobility Awards ceremony a success, and congratulations once again to all of our winners! 🎉🥂#TomorrowsStars

To round out the night, we’re delighted to award Efeose Ukegheson with our 2025 Outstanding Achievement Award! Efeose was selected by our judges in recognition of his hard work and dedication, and has proven to be an inspiration to us all - congratulations! #TomorrowsStars 🌟