Social Mobility: Climbing The Ladder To Career Success

By Hassan Motiwala

Fellow and Features Writer

Coming from an underprivileged background where we weren’t particularly wealthy and my parents had never been to university, I used to worry about my chances of getting into my chosen career. Would my background affect the way employers saw me? Would I be able to compete with people who could afford expensive private education and personal tutors? I still hear the same worries from young people today and I want you to know that you aren’t alone and help is available.

Social mobility has become more widely discussed as companies try to focus on increasing diversity and inclusion. So what exactly is social mobility and why does it matter? Think of social mobility as the movement of people from one floor in society to another. The goal is to give people from underprivileged backgrounds a chance to work in roles dominated by more privileged people. This means more access to talented staff who can help improve the business.

You might be wondering what companies are doing to make all this happen. One way in which companies have started to widen their pool of applicants is by partnering with charities, which teach people from underprivileged backgrounds the important skills they need to succeed. This step evens the playing field by making skills available to everyone.

Companies have also started entry level schemes that include training for people new to that job. This means people who didn’t have the chance to receive this training before can do it while working. This change in attitude should reassure and motivate you to pursue the jobs you are really interested in. Some companies may not be as open to being diverse but the majority know how important diverse talent is and will surely help you through your career development.

If you’re wondering, “But Hassan, how do you know if these services even work?” Well, the reason I’m so confident is because I’ve used these services myself. I struggled just like many of you might be. I was advised to attend Making The Leap’s workshop and after three weeks of amazing experiences, I came out with more focus, confidence, skills and motivation than I’ve ever had.

Making The Leap will challenge your confidence, discipline and attitude to mould you into the ideal candidate. As a Fellow, I can recommend their workshop with no hesitation because I’ve seen the growth, not just in myself, but in my peers who were with me. If you want to secure your future and build on yourself, consider contacting Gareth at Making The Leap to register for a place on the workshop. I promise, you won’t regret it!

Every person has the potential for greatness. I truly believe that BUT you have to really want it. Don’t let the fear of uncertainty stop you from trying. Think of it like this; if you try something, you might face a few failures but you’ll learn from them and succeed but if you never try, you’ll have failed BEFORE you started and never succeed. So take control, start planning your goals and what you need to do to reach them. We’re all cheering for you!