Gordon Brown wants people like me to be more socially mobile. For the UK prime minister, the promotion of social mobility has been a defining goal, which makes it all the worse that there has been little progress since Labour came into power in 1997.
This week the issue came firmly back on the agenda as Social Mobility Commission, instigated by the Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, published a report ahead of the government’s own white paper on the subject.
The report found that despite all the investment in education, success in later life is largely dependent on parents’ background and income. And Alan Milburn has been charged with reviewing the barriers faced by people from disadvantaged backgrounds. As a former cabinet minister who was brought up by a single parent on a council estate, one supposes he knows a thing or two about social mobility.
So how do you make someone like me socially mobile?
My parents sought asylum in the UK in 1996, optimistic that a free society like the UK would not only mean safety (I grew up in Afghanistan) but also an opportunity for their children to have a better life. Their determination and encouragement enabled me to finish school, enter university and aspire for a professional career.
After university, I decided that I wanted to work in ‘politics’ but I wasn’t sure what jobs to apply to and how. I was initially positive about my job prospects but my confidence did not survive the hundreds of rejection emails I received. I felt dismayed that the world that I was trying to get into seemed mysterious, harsh and somewhat elitist. Profiles of the people who got the jobs I had applied for had common themes. Oxbridge educations, numerous internships whilst at university and gap years spent building small villages in Latin America seemed particularly prevalent. The professional career I was aspiring to seemed to be firmly reserved for the privileged.
Ironically, or perhaps fittingly, I am now in a job at the Young Foundation, working on a project to help graduates who face similar barriers get into professional jobs.
My experience of trying to get into what is an exceptionally competitive industry has helped me to understand some of the challenges that graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds face.
Particularly lacking among those I work with is the self-confidence and access to professional networks commonly associated with graduates from more privileged backgrounds.
Exposure to the labour market from a young age facilitates high aspirations as well as the practical initiative to search, apply and successfully secure professional jobs.
From my experience of working with graduates with similar backgrounds to mine, I have realised an extra advantage – life experience. By raising confidence through intensive group work the participants on Fastlaners are able to articulate their skills and competencies as well as their ability to overcome challenges which is essential to becoming more socially mobile.
The current economic downturn seems to have provoked soul searching across the political parties. Britain has one of the lowest social mobility rates in Europe. My hope is that the government will look beyond the macroeconomic figures on unemployment and take a look at the challenges affecting those individuals who make up those figures.
Programmes that go beyond creating jobs and take a holistic approach to a complicated problem can work wonders, as my experience has shown me. We need programmes that address loss of confidence, create access to professional networks and encourage emotional resilience so that the more vulnerable graduates can overcome their ‘learned helplessness’ and take charge of their own future.
But first Britain must survive a recession.
