Ever heard of the 93%? Know what it means? Have you seen it around campus
and wondered? Well, The 93% Club is a national
social mobility network who strive towards a more equal world of
employability, where state school students get just as many opportunities
as those taught privately.
The club is named 93% because that is the percentage of students who attend
state schools in the United Kingdom. However, as they point out, they only
make up for 35% of senior judges, 43% of the house of lords, 56% of
journalists, 48% of junior ministers, 34% of FTSE 350 CEOS, and 41% of
permanent secretaries.
It was created in 2016 by founder and chair Sophie Pender, who saw the
disparity between the numbers of students going to university from less
privileged backgrounds, and those who came from private education.
Since then, the organisation has expanded and there are now forty five 93%
clubs and societies across the UK, including at universities such as
Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Bristol, Exeter, UCL, St. Andrews, and
Nottingham, among others.
The club has been described as ‘
a bullingdon club in reverse
’, as the aim is not to promote elitism and social inequality, but rather
the exact opposite. While it may appear that groups like these are also
promoting separation within society, the aim is to put everyone on the same
level to start with and to eliminate bias and social injustice.
Membership is free and once you belong to the society you will have access
to panels, Q&As, webinars, workshops, a podcast, career pathway guides,
and The Milkround resource pack, as well as the activities your local
branch has prepared for you.
The guides include advice on different careers including finance, law,
journalism, and more. In addition, The 93% Club has support from big
employers such as P&G, Goldman Sachs, and Accenture, among many others
– making this a truly great organisation for employability equality.
If you’re interested in the movement but there isn’t a 93% club at your
university,
you can contact them directly and find out how you can start one
yourself!
