York St John recognised in UK Social Mobility Awards

The awards, now in their third year, acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of businesses and organisations in their work of advancing social mobility. York St John University was among a prestigious group of organisations who received praise for striving to elevate social mobility as a cause equal to the level of other diversity issues.

Rob Hickey, Chief Operating Officer at York St John University said,

“York St John is passionate about fair and equal opportunities for students to achieve a higher education and has addressed three key areas across the student journey that can form a barrier to social mobility for underrepresented groups - university access, course retention and student outcomes.”

He added,

“This accolade highlights the outstanding work undertaken across the University to make our outreach, recruitment and student support strategies as inclusive as possible. We are a beacon of fair access, participation and success in UK higher education and, true to our founding mission, will always champion social mobility through education.”

The University introduced a ground-breaking contextual offers scheme in 2019, which considers academic potential alongside factors that prove to be barriers in preventing students from attending university. In addition, it offers sector-leading student support and careers teams who deliver some of the best employment outcomes for graduates, ensuring they have access to the relevant academic, social and financial opportunities which will develop their cultural, social and economic capital.

To further demonstrate how the University is striving to tackle the issue of social mobility head on, York St John is launching its Social Mobility Pledge Report on 20 February 2020. Presented by Justine Greening, founder of the Social Mobility Pledge and former cabinet minister, the special report will offer insight into the problems that affect social mobility and the actions taken by our University to remove barriers to success.

Almost 3,000,000 people from businesses and higher education institutes are now covered by the Social Mobility Pledge, which provides a wealth of knowledge and experience to allow talent to flourish on a more level playing field. York St John University’s Insight Report is a showcase of best practice within the higher education sector, with outcomes and learnings that aim to inspire change.