Under-represented graduates face ‘unequal’ access to job opportunities – report

Eleanor Busby, Press Association Education Correspondent

Many university graduates from under-represented backgrounds face “unequal” access to career opportunities compared with their peers, a report has warned.

Limited professional networks and social capital is one of the largest contributors to “employment disadvantage” that under-represented students in the UK face, researchers found.

Unequal graduate opportunities are the next “social mobility challenge” for Britain, according to a report by the Graduate Futures Institute (GFI) in partnership with the University of Leicester.

It noted that there has been significant progress in widening access to higher education, but it said “persistent differences” in access to resources that support progression into work remain.

Many students have “unequal access” to professional networks, work experience, employer knowledge and confidence in workplace settings, the report said.

Researchers found overwhelming agreement among higher education professionals that employment disadvantage is a reality for many students from under-represented backgrounds.

The report, which includes findings from a survey of 288 higher education professionals, also suggested that artificial intelligence (AI) is not equitable.

The online survey, carried out between July and August, found 80% regarded AI literacy as critical or very important for graduate employability over the next five years, but 69% believed some under-represented groups are at greater risk of being left behind in AI adoption.

The paper has called on the Government, employers, higher education providers and regulators to take shared action to “ensure that talent, not background, determines graduate success”.

The report’s recommendations for the Government include providing funding to expand paid internships and placements for under-represented graduates, as well as making work-related learning during degrees an “expectation”.

Martin Edmondson, chief executive of the GFI, said: “Graduate success should be determined by capability, not background.

“Our findings show that the biggest barriers facing many graduates sit outside their academic course.

“They are about networks, connections, confidence and access to experience.

“If success after university depends too heavily on who you know rather than what you know, then everyone loses.

“At a time when the country is focused on economic growth, productivity and opportunity, we cannot afford to waste talent.”

He added: “Social mobility is not simply about helping people access higher education, it is about ensuring that every graduate has a fair opportunity to succeed afterwards.”

Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Leicester, said: “For many years we have rightly focused on improving access to higher education (HE), opening the doors of universities to people from every background.

“The HE sector has made good progress in this regard but access to university is only part of the story.

“The next challenge is ensuring that every student has a fair chance to succeed once they graduate.

“Talent, ambition and potential are found in every community.

“Yet access to professional networks, workplace opportunities and career connections remains uneven.

“If Britain is serious about social mobility, economic growth and making the most of its talent, we need to ensure that opportunity after graduation does not depend on who you know, where you grew up or whether you can afford to take advantage of opportunities others take for granted.”

Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, acknowledged the current “imbalance” in graduate employment opportunities.

She said: “Work-readiness is where the biggest opportunity lies and this new report underlines this fact and identifies innovative programmes in universities, like Leicester, to ensure all graduates are empowered to be employment ready.”

In a speech at the UUK conference this month, skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith said universities “should be at the heart of local partnerships that turn economic opportunity” into workplace experience and jobs for local people.

Addressing vice-chancellors at the conference, she said: “Government has given you the toolkit: modular student funding, higher technical qualifications, and flexible degree reform.

“I want to see universities working locally in partnership to put that toolkit to work.”

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