It’s Not Just About Grades: How Cultural Capital Shapes Young People’s Futures

A recent Telegraph article sharing an anonymous letter from a 2023 UCL law graduate titled “I was promised university would be a path to employment. This was a lie” cements an uncomfortable thought: securing good grades and a university degree are not the ticket to social mobility they once were.

Demonstrating the tangible results and inequity that subtle (and not so subtle) social markers have on young people, (coined ‘cultural capital’ by Pierre Bourdieu), these small details all add up to ultimately have an effect on a young person’s prospects.

Further, last month’s article by The Guardian titled “It takes more than a degree to smash the class ceiling” (statement from Prof Shitij Kapur, vice-chancellor of King’s College London), shows this sentiment is echoed far and wide. Professor Kapur’s words highlight that even after finishing university, many young people still face significant hurdles in translating their academic achievements into elevated career advantages.

As the post-graduate job market becomes increasingly competitive, with more young people entering the workforce holding similar grades, the focus is shifting. Hands-on experience is now more critical than ever, highlighting the urgent need to bridge the gap between education and the workplace.

No longer is a degree from a prestigious uni a one way ticket to professional success; A 2016 study by Laurison and Friedman at the London School of Economics found that privately educated students graduating with 2:2 degrees were still more likely to secure higher or better-paid roles than state-educated students with 2:1s or above.

Wiseup recognises the need to help young people develop stronger cultural capital, by actively working to change the landscape for young people across the UK.

How Cultural Capital Changes Lives

Cultural capital is a concept that states we are influenced by the family we grow up in, the conversations we hear around the dinner table, the schools we attend, and the social circles we move in.

For many students from less affluent backgrounds, these advantages are often missing, as painfully demonstrated by The Telegraph’s anonymous writer:

“I didn’t grow up having conversations about current events or business over the dinner table. But university would teach me that skill, I was told, so I could catch up with students from wealthier backgrounds. This wasn’t true – and I only figured that out when I watched other interns chat comfortably with senior colleagues. It didn’t matter that I had studied double as hard as other students. I was still linguistically miles behind.”

Even when students work harder and achieve more academically, the social nuances and professional fluency of their wealthier peers often give them a decisive edge. From understanding workplace jargon to confidently contributing in meetings, these skills are often learned long before students step into offices.

The concept of ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know’ still plays a central role in how young people secure work experience and jobs; the anonymous graduate again shares their frustration:

“I watched other students enter boardrooms through family connections.”

Whilst the discrepancies are plain to see, cultural capital can also be developed through experiences, knowledge, and exposure, showing that whilst the initial playing field isn’t always equal, young people aren’t necessarily confined by their background, and can actively build the skills and confidence they need to succeed.

Students from less affluent backgrounds often have to navigate these hurdles without prior exposure, working twice as hard just to reach the starting line. However, access to high-quality work experience, mentorship, and networks can help bridge this gap.

Without intervention, many capable young people are left behind, not because of their ability. Thankfully, initiatives like the Pathfinder Programme support social mobility and this ever-changing landscape is evolving as more work-ready initiatives are put into place.

How Wiseup makes a difference

At Wiseup, we place the uplifting of social mobility and cultural capital front and centre; It is our mission to change the way young people access the workplace, giving them real insights and opportunities to learn from industry professionals they may otherwise never have had.

Our programmes have been designed with the understanding that opportunity is not always distributed equally. With many of our student mentees coming from schools with a high proportion of free school meals and university students on bursaries, we are actively tackling inequalities.

Our impact

Our 2025 programme report found that less than a quarter of student participants' parents worked in an office environment, a statistic that largely removes the ‘work experience at parents' office’ option for many.

This is a stark comparison to a study undertaken by Upreach, who found that private school students are 4.5 times more likely than state educated students to secure work experience through ‘family or friends’.

Further demonstrating this gap in preparedness, in our pre-programme survey, student participants rated themselves below 5 on average for understanding the workplace, and just over 5 for confidence in speaking with professionals.

After completing the programme, we were proud to see significant improvements across all areas, with students demonstrating greater knowledge, confidence, and readiness for the workplace, as highlighted below: