Result day reflections: access after education

Natasha Khan
COO at Creative Mentor Network

Today is results day across the UK, and it is fantastic to see more young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have secured university places this year.

Data from the University and College Admissions Service highlights 27,600 young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds have accepted a place at a university, a record high, and a 7% increase from 2023.

But university isn’t the only route to employment, and it’s crucial more is done to support young people into work beyond education. Young people must be provided with the skills and information needed for them to make this transition.

New data from the Social Mobility Foundation proves this is a problem for all young people, and impacts those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds more. Less than half (48%) of young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds felt they had adequate resources or support at school or college to do their best, versus their peers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds (56%). 

Although students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds also stated that resources are lacking, in reality, they are more likely to have support through family and pre-existing networks, and very often face fewer barriers to employment, especially in the creative industry, meaning the gap is likely larger than this data shows.

Whilst there’s a role for government here, it’s key for employers, education institutions and government to work together. We need to ensure young people have suitable access to information about jobs available today, and that companies evolve hiring practices to be more inclusive towards those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds too. Staff need to be trained to understand the nuances of socioeconomic diversity so there can be a collective effort to make the necessary changes.

This can not only help support class diversity in the workplace but can be an important tool for fixing the skills shortages across the workforce.