Social Mobility, Diversity and Inclusion at NTU
Here at NTU, we are committed to supporting our diverse student population to succeed whilst at university, and in their careers, regardless of their background.
NTU were the first Higher Education institution to sign the social mobility pledge and were named University of the Year at the 2019 Social Mobility Awards. Our work in this area also contributed to winning the Guardian University of the Year award in 2019 – recognising our commitment to narrowing the attainment gap for low participation groups.
Our ‘Rise’ programme provides additional support for students who are statistically the most disadvantaged in terms of their career prospects. This includes students with low household incomes, those with disabilities, and care leavers. Students from ‘Rise’ backgrounds make up almost 50% of NTU’s population.
We support students through initiatives such as funding and bursaries for undertaking work placements, reimbursing costs incurred to attend interviews, and tailored development programmes to improve students’ confidence and commercial awareness.
How your business can get involved
We recognise the value of industry insight in shaping our students’ career journeys. We are keen to work in collaboration with industry to support students whilst helping employers to develop their diversity and inclusivity practices and connect with target groups. This could involve promoting EDI focused events and opportunities you are hosting in-house or exploring platforms to connect with diverse groups through NTU-led programmes.
Engaging with any events or initiatives at NTU will naturally open your organisation up to a diverse student audience. We also run targeted programmes which provide opportunities for employers to engage with widening participation students. This year's series of employer-supported Rise initiatives are now complete, however we invite employers to register their interest in future cohorts of any of the below opportunities:
Rise PLAN Programme
Research shows widening participation students are the most likely to benefit from year-long sandwich placements but are least likely to undertake them*. The Rise PLAN programme supports second-year students in their search for a placement through a series of workshops improving their confidence, resilience and commercial awareness.
We welcome employers to speak to students as part of this programme to promote their organisation and career opportunities, by delivering a presentation, followed by Q&A alongside other employers. It’s the perfect platform to promote placements directly to an engaged group of diverse students and position yourself as an inclusive employer for future graduate recruitment.
This programme takes place twice a year - in Term One (November) and Term Two (March). The events are currently delivered hybrid, meaning there are opportunities for organisations to take part either in-person or dialling in remotely.
*'Closing the UK's progression gap' Report, Nottingham Trent University/Social Mobility Pledge, 2019
Rise Insight Programme
The Rise Insight Programme is a new NTU initiative providing local organisations with a platform to showcase their business to the next generation of diverse talent, by hosting an Insight Experience. The programme is open to first-year, widening participation students from a range of disciplines with transferrable skills.
The programme aims to:
- Expose students to a range of industries they may not have considered, raising their commercial awareness and career aspirations
- Highlight the breadth of career opportunities within the local area
- Allow employers to inspire students about their organisation, building a future talent pipeline for placement and graduate roles.
'Empowering Ethnic Minorities In...' Series
NTU hope to challenge the factors that can affect students from diverse backgrounds reaching their potential, creating a sense of belonging through the power of representation.
As part our commitment to race equality, we have introduced a series of on-campus panel discussions and networking opportunities, focusing on the career journeys of ethnic minority professionals across five sectors:
- Law
- Business
- Creative Industries
- Public Sector
- STEM
The aim of the series is to provide relatable industry insights for students from diverse backgrounds; highlighting the success of ethnic minority professionals in industry and action being taken to create more inclusive cultures in the workplace.
Taking part in one of our 'Empowering Ethnic Minorities In...' sessions allows organisations to:
- Position yourself as an inclusive employer
- Raise awareness of your company’s commitment to EDI
- Connect with emerging ethnically diverse student talent
- Discuss key topics around EDI and learn from the future ethnic minority workforce.
Women's Development Programme
NTU’s Women’s Development Programme (WDP) exists for female, female identifying and non-binary students, aiming to boost qualities such as confidence and assertiveness. Research has proven that female graduates are not attaining the same employment outcomes as their male counterparts*. This is not due to female graduate capabilities, but more to do with elements of confidence, attitude, aspiration and identity.
Students on the programme complete a series of live webinars and online modules to develop their leadership skills, confidence and resilience, exploring topics such as imposter syndrome and personal branding.
We invite inspirational female professionals to share their career journeys with the students at the programme’s launch event. The aim of this is to empower and inspire students about their future careers, whilst providing organisations with a platform to celebrate their female talent, position themselves as an inclusive employer, and connect with the next generation of professionals.
*Graduate Outcomes 2019/20, HESA, 2022
Inclusive Recruitment
Our Inclusive Recruitment course is a non-accredited interactive learning and development programme, delivered by NTU's Employability team. Delivered weekly over five bitesize sessions the programme aims to develop your understanding and knowledge around inclusive recruitment of early career talent.
Find out more about the course and secure your place here.
We are keen to support employers with their own EDI events and initiatives or explore developing something bespoke to meet your objectives.
Contact samantha.morley@ntu.ac.uk to start a conversation about Social Mobility, Diversity and Inclusion at NTU.