Sought-after graduate jobs in professions like law, consulting and government policy are dominated by people from privileged backgrounds, despite many of the top employers in these industries committing to improving diversity. Diversity-focused mentoring schemes do exist, but they are burdensome and cannot scale to meet demand.
"Right now a student from a disadvantaged background who gains a first-class degree from a top university is less likely to secure an elite job than a more privileged student with a 2.2."
Source: UpReach
difference in likelihood that someone gets a professional job after university if they come from a professional background themselves.
difference in earnings between graduates from the most and least privileged backgrounds, 5 years after leaving university.
of people have experienced nepotism at work.
estimated cost to the UK economy of stalled social mobility.
The TipStart programme connects TipStarters with TipSters based on shared career interests and personality traits to ensure they can be helpful in their long-term success. TipSters can help their TipStarters in many ways, from candidly educating them on the norms, expectations and realities of working life in their sector to providing targeted support such as reading their CVs or practicing interviewing techniques.
Unlike other mentoring schemes which rely on individual goodwill, the TipStart programme recruits employers to nominate batches of their current employees as mentors. In taking part, TipSters commit to helping a student or recent graduate get their foot in the door of their industry, while their employers commit to promoting diversity more broadly within their organisation, which their TipStarters can help them think more critically about how to do.
The TipStart programme provides resources and structured month-by-month guidance to ensure that TipSters and TipStarters always know what to do next. Within the app, users can access tailored tips and best practices, suggestions for activities and prompts for how to grow their relationships throughout the six-month programme. Organisations can also track employee engagement in the programme and message a dedicated support team with any and all questions or queries.
The TipStart programme is completely digital - the whole process from registration through to the end of the programme takes place within our easy-to-use application, reducing the hassle for organisations, TipSters and TipStarters to take part. There are no paper forms to fill in or training sessions to attend, it's just a case of downloading the app and creating a profile. This can be done on a smartphone, laptop or work computer in minutes.
The programme can help students and graduates to...
TipStarters can gain tips and advice from their TipSter regarding how to approach other professionals and network effectively. They can also be connected with other professionals in their TipSter's industry, helping them grow their network beyond the scope of TipStart.
TipStarters can explore their curiosity about certain careers and understand which are best-suited to their individual aspirations and circumstances. They can learn the vocabulary of certain fields and gain insights about the professional environment of their TipSter from the inside.
TipStarters can receive training from their TipSter and gain critical feedback on their CVs, job applications and interview techniques. This can help them write better applications and perform better in the all-important job interviews and assessment centres, when the time comes.