Careers help
Social mobility centres on 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 your background.
Careers offers support and advice to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds who may have come through non-traditional routes into higher education and those that may be in receipt of university bursaries and scholarships. You may, for example, be a care leaver, an estranged student or a refugee, or the first in your family to go to university.
We can offer:
- Additional careers appointments to bursary holders - contact Careers for more information.
- Regular News and information on skills sessions and external events/programmes specifically targeting students from non-traditional backgrounds.
- Information about groups/employers running specific internship programmes or employability sessions on MyFuture.
Other sources of support
- If you receive a Gold Scholarship then you will have access to additional careers sessions throughout the year, organised through the Gold Scholarship team.
- Social Mobility Foundation - a charity working to improve the social mobility of young people from low income backgrounds.
- The Sutton Trust - a foundation that seeks to improve social mobility through programmes, research and policy centred on education.
Support for care-experienced, independent students and carers
- Standalone - support for people who are estranged from their families.
- National Network for the Education of Care Leavers – an organisation offering advice, support and resources for care-experienced people.
- Carers UK.
- Employers for carers – an organisation encouraging employers to take account of the needs of carers; includes a list of ‘carer confident’ employers.
- Carers Trust - organisation offering advice, support and information to carers.
- Become – a charity supporting children in care and young care leavers. Includes an advice line for free help & advice.
Support for refugees
- Refugee and Migrant Council – support for people who are refugees or asylum seekers.
- Refugee Council’s employment advice service.
- Refugee Action – advice, support and campaigns for asylum seekers and refugees.
- Scottish Refugee Council.
- Welsh Refugee Council.
Funding
If you have any financial concerns about doing a placement or possibly an internship, then speak to a Careers Consultant or contact Student Money Advice in Student Services. Go to the Student Money Advice website.
The University has more advice on funding during an unpaid placement. See planning your finances for your placement year.
There is also the Discretionary Internship Bursary for work experience taken outside of a normal placement year. Find out more about the Discretionary Internship Bursary.
Employers and work experience
There are several organisations that are committed to improving social mobility and wish to diversify their workforce. These organisations offer schemes to support those students and graduates from non-traditional backgrounds to gain work experience and also apply for specific graduate schemes.
Some of these can be found by searching the opportunities tab in MyFuture using the keyword 'social mobility'. Or by choosing 'equality and diversity' as the type of opportunity. Go to MyFuture.