Britain has widened access to university, but a new Graduate Futures Institute report produced with the University of Leicester warns that opportunity after graduation remains deeply unequal — and the findings will be debated at a Labour Party Conference panel next week.
The study, From Access to Graduate Success: The Next Phase of Social Mobility, argues that more students from under-represented backgrounds are reaching higher education than ever before, yet access to the networks, work experience, employer connections and confidence that shape careers is still unevenly shared.
Researchers surveyed 288 higher education professionals across 107 UK providers. Ninety-seven per cent agreed that under-represented students face employment disadvantage compared with their peers, with a lack of professional networks and social capital ranked as the single biggest factor. Ninety-six per cent said work-related learning is essential or very important in closing the gap, while 69% warned that some under-represented groups risk being left behind by the rise of artificial intelligence.
The report aligns with Universities UK's Future Jobs Roadmap and the government's new Class Unit in the Office for Equality and Opportunity. Findings will be discussed at a Labour Party Conference panel, From Access to Graduate Success: The Next Phase of Social Mobility, on Tuesday 29 September, 7.45am to 8.45am, at ACC Liverpool's Humber Pod in the Purpose Coalition Hub, with Graduate Futures Institute CEO Martin Edmondson and University of Leicester Vice-Chancellor Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah.
Canagarajah: 'Access to university is only part of the story'
Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, said universities had rightly focused on opening their doors, but graduate success must not depend on who you know.
"For many years we have rightly focused on improving access to higher education, 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.
"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."
Edmondson: 'Capability, not background'
Martin Edmondson, CEO of Graduate Futures Institute, said graduate success should turn on capability rather than background, and that the biggest barriers often sit outside the academic course.
"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."
Stern: 'Work-readiness is where the biggest opportunity lies'
Universities UK Chief Executive Vivienne Stern welcomed the findings, saying the report highlights interventions needed to redress imbalance in graduate employment opportunities.
"It highlights the specific interventions that are necessary in order to redress the current imbalance in graduate employment opportunities.
"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."
The authors conclude that the next phase of social mobility must focus not only on who gets into university, but on equity of access to the opportunities that follow.
