Empowering young people

Our mission

Our aim is to level the playing field for young people from state schools and colleges and empower them to reach their potential by providing them with life-changing opportunities that they would otherwise struggle to access.

Our story

Since our launch in 2010, we have become the largest social mobility charity in the UK. We are committed to delivering high-quality and impactful interventions for state-educated students that will transform lives while also using our influence to champion social mobility and improve diversity in the workplace.

What is social mobility?

Social mobility is the term used to describe a shift in socioeconomic status – with greater equality of opportunity generally associated with improved status in terms of earnings, income, social class, health, and education.

Higher levels of social mobility are a good indicator of a country’s economic growth and signify a fairer distribution of power, wealth, and opportunity in society. Yet currently, the UK has one of the poorest rates of social mobility in the developed world.

Research shared in 2019 by The Sutton Trust revealed that, despite accounting for just 7% of the pupil population, privately educated people occupy 45% of ‘top jobs’ in this country even though their state-educated peers achieve the same grades.

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Click through our testimonials to discover our impact

Josh, aged 18 from Darlington, completed work experience with British Airways – following his passion for tourism and desire to make it more sustainable in the future.

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Click through our testimonials to discover our impact

Joyce, 17, from London, secured virtual work experience placements with Caxton Associates and the Bank of England which allowed her to build much-needed skills as well as boosting her confidence and CV for the future. She now plans to work in finance and feels much better placed to make this happen.

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Click through our testimonials to discover our impact

Beau, from Birmingham, completed a 3-day work experience placement with Spaceport Cornwall when he was 14 where he came up with the idea for a satellite-controlled app that the local professional fishing community could use to track fish.

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Click through our testimonials to discover our impact

Yen Li, aged 18 from Torquay, completed work experience with Bentley Motors supported by volunteers from Bentley’s colleague diversity networks to provide students from across the country with insights into STEM careers and opportunities within the automotive sector.

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