Socially Mobile is the best training ground which enables people to flourish

Until Catherine Hancock entered the workforce, she hadn’t appreciated the different barriers and opportunities that face people from different backgrounds. Spotting that Socially Mobile aims to level the playing field, she applied and hasn’t looked back. 

When I first saw the Socially Mobile programme advertised in 2022, I wrote my application but I didn’t submit it. I didn’t feel confident that I would pass the course - my grades at school were average or below average, and I was unsure if I fitted the criteria for the course for a fully funded place. 

I guess that’s the thing about social mobility. If you have grown up in an environment such as a lower socio-economic background, it might not be until you’re in further education or are in work that you start realising that not everyone is from the same background as you. Not everyone is given the same opportunities and that is unfair. For a long time, I thought everyone had free school meals and that being the first one in your family to go to university was just purely a generational thing. 

Before moving into a different role, I worked in the NHS which I enjoyed. However, like many other places, there wasn’t funding available to pay for external training. If I wanted to increase my skills and go on a course, I had to make the decision to pay for it myself, which I did. I made financial sacrifices for this. In the end I couldn’t afford to keep doing that and so I put my professional development on hold for a time.

When I eventually applied for the Socially Mobile programme last year and I was accepted for a fully funded place, I was delighted. Part of me thought it was too good to be true, 10 weeks of learning for free? What’s the catch?

But I soon discovered that the programme set up by Sarah and Stephen Waddington is so more than just a course. It is a community. It’s a movement of people who want to continue their professional learning and who want to make the industry a better place – with no restrictions or judgment on what their background is. Sarah and Stephen have both made this possible and it’s incredible.

“It’s a movement of people who want to continue their professional learning and who want to make the industry a better place – with no restrictions or judgment on what their background is. ”

Described as a SAS style course, it is just that. It’s quick, it’s fast paced and it’s hands on. But most importantly, it’s practical which means you can put the skills you learn into practice straight away. It is the best training ground which enables people to flourish.

The Socially Mobile programme has opened up so many doors for me, including for the first time in my career at the ripe age 30 something (early 30s!), I have the opportunity to network and build my professional network.

The course has enabled me to grow in confidence. I feel more strategic in the way I work and it gave me the opportunity to learn from some of the leading professionals in the PR industry on a range of topics from finance, to planning and evaluation, and leading high performing teams. I wouldn’t have been able to access any of this without this programme.

The Socially Mobile programme is the gift that keeps on giving, with opportunities to speak at events, go to conferences, continue networking, and carry on with your professional development.

The programme is crucial to the industry because it makes the workforce a richer and more diverse place. It creates a pipeline of people who have learnt from the best in the industry. It has gathered a group of likeminded people who want to progress and continue learning. All of whom have different views, skills and experiences. 

It gives everyone the chance to be equal to their peers – no matter who you are and this should be championed.