What has social mobility got to do with careers work?

Frigerio, Gill and Christie, Fiona ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1384-3683 (2018) What has social mobility got to do with careers work? Phoenix (153). pp. 5-7.

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Abstract

What is social mobility anyway? The concept assumes that there are strata in society and that individuals can move within these, up as well as down. Relating this to employability, the term then suggests that being socially mobile might allow movement into another stratum in order to find more fulfilling and/or well-paid work. It is worth asking then whether, and how, social mobility might contribute to social justice and the opportunity for ‘decent work’ for all, not just the lucky few, e.g. those who manage to break into elite universities/professions. Social justice has become a popular concept in careers literature and the International Labour Organization (ILO) identified ‘decent work’ as critical to worldwide economic growth. However, back in the UK and higher education (HE) policy context, ‘social mobility’ regularly hits the headlines. It has its own Commission, which has given it traction, so let’s stay with this as a term.