Over the last month, we have seen many new reports published and events taken place surrounding social mobility and how best to advance this movement throughout the UK. Check out below to see a brief recap in to just a few of the important pieces of information and events that have taken place during this time:
ONS Report – Labour market overview, UK: March 2021
Last month, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published their Labour Market Overview UK report, which looks at employment-related statistics for the UK over the months of December 2020 to February 2021. This new report shows that whilst there has been a slight rise in the number of people in employment over the last few months, evidence reaffirms the general notion that unemployment has hit young people (under 25s) the hardest throughout lockdown as this age group sees employment continuing to fall. Through this report, ONS and the BBC have found that four fifths of those now unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic are under the age of 35 – proving that in order to help the economy on its way to recovery, there is still plenty we must do, whilst continuing to provide support to those who need it most.
To read the full report, click here.
Centre for Education Policy & Equalising Opportunities (UCL) & Sutton Trust:
The Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities (CEPEO) at UCL are working with Sutton Trust and launching a the COVID Social Mobility & Opportunities (COSMO) Study, a new youth cohort study to examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affects socio-economic inequalities in accessing opportunities.
The study will focus on how a target group of Year 11s progress throughout their education and will help to give a better understanding of the long-term impacts from the pandemic on young people in education during this challenging time. The pandemic has brought to light many underlying challenges that our society has been facing, and the impact of the pandemic on young people has been insurmountable. As we have seen in previous social mobility round-up blogs, other reports and studies have been undertaken throughout the pandemic which have already emphasised that the ramifications of the pandemic have been detrimental to those most vulnerable in our society. This issue needs to be addressed in order to ensure that no young people are left behind at such a vital stage in their development.
Read more about the study here.
Social Mobility Pledge – Levelling Up Awards:
On the 30th April, the Social Mobility Pledge held the Levelling Up Goals Awards, a new set of awards which recognises those organisations who are dedicated to boosting opportunities. With 14 different award categories to win, these organisations who entered and won are all playing a key part in levelling up the UK.
Watch the awards here: The Levelling Up Awards 2021
We are delighted to announce that our founder, Tunde Banjoko OBE, won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the event, which celebrated the continued excellent work that he has been doing for social mobility!
EEF report:
A new report published by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has found that there has been a significant increase to the attainment gap between disadvantaged young people, especially those at primary school level. The report highlights that disadvantaged young people have been left behind, as they have potentially lost at least one month’s worth of mathematic attainment.
The report states that to ensure that young people who have faced the challenges to remote learning will not be permanently impacted by this loss of education, a large government funding will be required to support the young people in continuing their education. The Chairman of the EEF and Sutton Trust reaffirmed this, by stating that “the cost of failing to act now will be a catastrophe for young people from low-income homes.”
Read the full report here.
UK Social Mobility Award events:
Last month, the SOMOs hosted their fourth annual Social Mobility Business Seminar. To read an overview of the event, check out our blog piece here: Social Mobility Business Seminar 2021
The nominations entries for the UK Social Mobility Awards 2021 have now opened. After what has been a challenging year for many organisations across the UK, we have continued to see great work being done to champion social mobility, and we want more companies to feel inspired by other’s initiatives and showcase their own. If your organisation is committed to the advancement of this movement and interested in entering one of the 12 categories in the #SOMO2021, make sure to register now! Nominations close on Friday 25th June.
Register now: UK Social Mobility Awards 2021 (judgify.me)
