THE SOCIAL MOBILITY FOUNDATION

London, England, N1 6ND United Kingdom

Mission Statement

The Social Mobility Foundation is a charity whose mission is to ensure that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds can achieve their full potential. We seek to target the causes of social class disadvantage by providing young people with the knowledge, skills, networks and confidence which will otherwise hold them back, and prompting employers and others to understand, identify and eliminate the barriers to entry and progression and support social mobility initiatives. Our approach is practical and positive.

About This Cause

The SMF was founded in 2005 and is now widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading social mobility charities. We are known for our strong employer partnerships, the breadth and quality of our programme, and our national reach. Operating from 7 city offices, alongside residential and online programmes, the SMF is able to support students from anywhere in the UK with reach into inner city communities and social mobility ‘coldspots’ in towns and rural/coastal areas. We have developed strong employer partnerships and volunteer networks outside London. Through the Aspiring Professionals Programme, first created in 2010, we support young people from the first year of sixth form through to their first year after graduation with activities designed around our Building My Future framework of competencies needed to succeed in accessing top professions. We have gone from supporting a cohort of 59 in 2006 to 2200 in 2021 across 11 professional sectors. Students join the programme aged 16, and over 5 years can access, totally free of charge: • Mentoring from a volunteer professional in their chosen career sector • Tailored support for school students to apply to selective universities, including visits, guidance and support with making informed choices, and help with applications • Careers advice and work experience placements in employers within their chosen sector • Workshops to develop skills including confidence, networking, public speaking and commercial awareness • Tailored support and advice for undergraduates with internship, graduate pipeline and graduate job opportunities including CV advice and pre-interview coaching SMF launched the Social Mobility Employers Index in 2017, which benchmarks employer practice and influences employers to prioritise social mobility. As well as driving social mobility strategies in individual organisations, the Index was integral to the development of the Social Mobility Commission’s toolkit on socio-economic background data and is regularly cited by policy makers and researchers. In 2020 we launched an advocacy arm, the Department for Opportunities, which campaigns for awareness and positive change to support social mobility and draws on the expertise built over the years in delivering the programme and the Index.

THE SOCIAL MOBILITY FOUNDATION
The Social Mobility Foundation The Timber Yard 17 Drysdale Street, London
London, England N1 6ND
United Kingdom
Phone 02071831189
Unique Identifier 1115888