upReach | Social Mobility

@upreach.bsky.social is a multi-award-winning charity offering free 1-to-1 career coaching to students from low-income backgrounds. Applications to their Motorsports, Tech500 and Energy and Net Zero Springboards are open!

When we say our vision is a society where everyone has an equal opportunity to realise their full career potential, regardless of social background, we mean it.

A huge thank you to our community of partners, supporters, funders, volunteers, and Alumni; none of this would be possible without you.

upReach Wrapped is out! 🎉

This year has been a powerful one for social mobility.

From 1-to-1 career support to tailored guidance on applications, interviews, and industry insight, supporting students from lower socio-economic backgrounds has remained at the heart of everything we do. 💙

That's why we're calling on the Government to make all large employers collect and publish socioeconomic background data for their workforces.

What gets measured gets done.

Would you be willing to endure such disparity? If not, support to our campaign.

#ClassPayGap #UKPolitics

Professionals from working-class backgrounds earn 12% less per year than their more privileged peers in the same role – that's over £6,000 less annually. This means they effectively work unpaid for 1 in every 8 days.

This is holding brilliant people and the UK economy back.

🚨 Professionals from lower socio-economic backgrounds will NOT get paid today, and for the rest of the year.

Today is Class Pay Gap Day: the date when millions of professionals from working-class backgrounds effectively stop being paid for the rest of 2025.

#SocialMobility #UK

💡 At upReach, we support 3,200+ students annually and work with leading employers to address these barriers. Some solutions we've seen work: travel reimbursement, living wage internships, and salary advances on first paycheques.

Read the full article: lnkd.in/e-WdgBZQ

This isn't just about fairness, it's also about businesses missing out on talent. When only those who can afford to participate in lengthy recruitment processes make it through, employers aren't hiring the best candidates. They're hiring the wealthiest.

When a student lands multiple final-stage interviews (which should be a marker of success), they face these expenses repeatedly. Many simply can't afford to participate.

When a student is invited to a final-stage interview in London, they face costs that quickly mount up: expensive train fares, overnight accommodation if interviews span multiple days, professional clothing they don't already own, and meals throughout the day.

Our CEO Nick Bent FRSA featured in the Metro last week commenting on the hidden barriers to jobs.

The costs associated with job interviews represent one of many invisible barriers faced by talented graduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds - barriers their wealthier peers never encounter.

Exciting news! 🎉 We're proud to announce that upReach has been awarded a grant from the Amazon Regional Creatives Fund to support 10 upReach Associates on our free career support programme, who are interested in creative industries.

#rcf2025

Huge thanks to Bank of America for hosting and to every speaker, attendee, and advocate who participated.

Reach out to partnerships@upreach.org.uk if you want to learn more about how upReach can support your organisation.

To everyone who joined us: your commitment to championing change is what will shift the dial. To those who couldn't make it: the question remains, what's your organisation's next move on social mobility?

The conversation doesn't end here. It starts here.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 – 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 – 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬?

Last week, 90+ leaders gathered at Bank of America's King Edward Hall to tackle this question head-on, and share their best practices at our 'Championing Change' event.

We've been nominated! 🏆

Our partnership with the LIIBA - London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association' has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 'Diversity & Inclusion Collaboration' Award at the Insurance Post's 2025 Diversity and Inclusion in Insurance Awards. 🎉

We see and hear these statements often from students we support who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds & at upReach, we want you to know that you absolutely belong in that room, imposter syndrome should not hold you back.

#SocialMobility #Equality #Inclusion

Matt went the distance - and so can you!

upReach Programme Coordinator, Matt Wyant, completed the Robin Hood Half Marathon, and raised £200 to support life-changing social mobility work at upReach. 👟

Inspired by Matt? Start your own challenge and #runforupReach:
upreach.org.uk/involved/

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.