‘The disability employment gap for graduates’ report launches

1 May
,
Shaw Trust in partnership with AGCAS

Today, Shaw Trust launches our latest report, ‘The disability employment gap for graduates’.

We wanted to better understand the employment gap between disabled graduates and their non-disabled peers, and in particular the larger gap for graduates with sight loss, mobility impairments, autism, and two or more co-occurring conditions.

This qualitative study brings the voices of disabled graduates to the forefront.

We set out to understand how students’ career expectations are affected by their disability, how and why students choose to share information about their disability with employers, and what impact disability has on their transition into work. The research therefore focused on the initial career journey of disabled graduates in the UK, starting while they are still studying and moving through the job search, application, interview and negotiations process.

We were pleased to collaborate on this qualitive research with inclusive research agency, Open Inclusion, who designed and conducted the research on our behalf.
We found that disabled graduates’ career journeys are shaped by their experiences as an individual, their support systems, and potential employers. This may relate to, but is not limited to, a graduate’s:

• personal and professional identity
• recruitment experience with an employer
• understanding of how they fit into an advertised role
• ability to take part in a recruitment process
• experience of University careers support
• access to mentors and support networks.

Alongside this, AGCAS has today launched the ‘What happens next in challenging times?’ report, analysing 2020 and 2021 Graduate Outcomes data for disabled graduates. In this report, quantitative research shows that employment gap figures for the total number of disabled graduates have remained constant, and that disabled graduates are less likely to be in highly skilled, secure employment than graduates with no known disability.

These complimentary reports share a holistic review of the employment journey for disabled graduates.

Our CEO Chris Luck, commented:

“I hope these reports will inspire and motivate action and change and in particular, to encourage employers to seek support and ensure that accessibility and inclusivity is considered in their graduate recruitment processes, to diversify their talent and support a more inclusive and representative workforce.”

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Christine Swabey
Trustee

Christine joined Shaw Trust in March 2024. Previously, she has operated at a senior level in the commercial, public and third sectors, notably in education, health and social care. She is passionate about the role of the Board in upholding values and supporting strategic ambition to enhance impact for all users.

Christine is currently Chair of St. George’s University of London, a specialist healthcare university based in South West London. She has led discussions on a merger with City University, which when implemented, will create the UK’s most comprehensive educator of the healthcare workforce. She has been a Board member of a number of NHS and charitable organisations, providing care to those experiencing poor health, mental and physical, and those living with disability. She was Chief Executive of Autistica, the UK’s leading research charity dedicated to improving lives of people with autism. That experience underscored her belief in the strategic importance of research in driving change.

In the schools sector, Christine is an experienced school governor and recently chaired the Independent Schools Inspectorate. She has first-hand experience of safeguarding from both a regulatory and provider perspective, including residential care settings.

She is genuinely excited about contributing to the Shaw Trust Mission to enable everyone to fulfil their potential through access to purposeful and life affirming employment.

Greg Allen
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Greg is an experienced CEO, chair, and Trustee/non-executive director. He has also been a Professor of Practice (Leadership) at the University of Exeter Business School since 2020. He is passionate about improving the lives of people of all ages and supporting the development of young people in their work and employment.

With a career spanning over 30 years, his board roles have covered the commercial (plc), public, third sectors and consultancy, with over 20 years working across health and care. Most recently, he has been Interim CEO of Blind Veterans UK, following four years as CEO of Future Care Capital. Both are health and care charities with long and rich histories.

He joined Shaw Trust as a Trustee in early 2024, following previous Trustee roles at Hospiscare in Devon and the national charity Arthritis Action. Other previous executive roles include CEO of the government’s national Centre for Workforce Intelligence, senior civil servant at the Department of Health, a national director of Nuffield Health and private banker at Coutts & Co. In his early career, he qualified as a teacher and served in the UK and abroad as an Officer in the British Army.

He is a keen road cyclist and Francophone/Francophile.

James Stewart OBE
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James became a Trustee in 2021 after a 30 year career spanning the public and private sectors. He started in the banking sector, led Partnerships UK and Infrastructure UK, and then spent ten years at KPMG finishing as a Vice Chair and member of the UK Board.

Much of James’ career has been spent in the pursuit of improving public services and he has been involved in the development of many of the leading UK infrastructure projects and programmes including Crossrail and HS2. James believes that skills are a key enabler to the regeneration and growth of the UK economy and helping young people to have the opportunity to acquire skills and have the best chance of employment is his motivation for joining Shaw Trust. He is attracted by the Shaw Trust operating model and believes that social enterprises can have a greater role in delivering public services in the future.

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Steve is passionate about using his extensive HR Leadership experience to make a positive difference to the lives of others. Throughout a career spent at the helm of global matrix organisations devising and implementing expansive change initiatives, Steve has utilised extensive HR experience to deliver substantial revenue, growth, and organisational development.

Steve has represented HR in Board positions for more 15 years, most recently as Chief HR Officer for the Apogee Corporation, leading on HR, real-estate, and environmental strategies.

Steve brings experience of working within the charity sector, having in the past managed and held leadership roles within National Citizens Advice Bureau for 6 years and performed non-executive director roles for Presentation Housing Association for four years, with a focus on the vulnerable and disadvantaged. Steve believes that the seamless blend and contribution of paid employees and volunteers providing valued and sought-after services can bring unique challenges to the workplace along with passion and devotion to the delivery of quality. This generates a unique culture, with people that have insights, motivation and experiences that utilised well, make an incredible difference to society. Steve believes in the importance of rigour and best use of available funds to maximise an organisation’s ability to facilitate this. Steve’s expertise in organisational consolidation following acquisitions, business transformation, continuous improvement and career pathing for employees will all support the delivery of Shaw Trust’s Vision 2030: Strategic Directive.

Stephen Pegge
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Stephen is a career banker and has also been a board director of several institutions with a public interest including the National Centre for Work Experience, the Institute of Small Business Affairs and is a former chair of a charity founded by HRH the Prince of Wales supporting older people into economic activity.

He is part of the senior executive team of UK Finance, the leading financial trade association and leads on commercial finance, sustainability, dispute resolution and international trade. He chairs an advisory group for the UK government on creative industries and is part of a minister led boards on business finance and promoting female and black and ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Stephen is a director of the UK Business Angels Association, the trade association dedicated to promoting angel investing and supporting early-stage investment in the UK. He is also a director of the Business Banking Resolution Service, a voluntary ombudsman scheme for larger SMEs.

Stephen believes Shaw Trust makes a vital contribution and has an even bigger potential role to play in employability, education and support for people to realise their potential whatever their backgrounds over the next few years. He is looking forward to playing his part in supporting it and our clients and hopes his experience and connections can be useful to colleagues and the wider network involved in this vital work.

Kalm Paul-Christian
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Kalm is an investment banker working in the Financial Institutions Advisory Team at NatWest Markets. There he advises executive management teams to execute strategic and corporate finance decisions for sustainable growth.

He began his career with Rothschild & Co in the Global Financial Advisory division before joining The Social Investment Consultancy where he advised charities, social enterprises, corporates and investment funds on revenue diversification, social business models and impact evaluation.

As an advocate for Social Mobility, Financial Inclusion and Disability Rights, Kalm has been working in the field of accessibility since 2013, delivering projects from DFID, the Commonwealth Youth Council and National Lottery Community Fund.

He is a graduate of the University of Oxford, Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts and a member of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers. He is also trustee of the Turn2Us and Switchback, a former school governor, and a junior adviser to Chatham House.

Lara Oyesanya
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Lara joined Shaw Trust in April 2021. Lara is a trustee of Plan International UK and a co-opted Member, Committee on Benefactions, External and Legal Affairs, the University of Cambridge advising the Vice-Chancellor.

The vision of Shaw Trust of a future where good employment is accessible to all in society irrespective of life circumstances resonates with Lara. Growing up in Nigeria, Lara was raised with strong values that included a great sense of social justice, responsibility, accountability, respect, and care for everyone in the community. Shaw Trust’s outlined outcomes for education and skills, children and young people’s services, and health and well-being are areas that Lara believes are essential for a fair and equitable society. This vision is a big draw for Lara as a Shaw Trust trustee and she hopes that the work of Shaw Trust will continue to promote social justice and mobility to address the causes and consequences of poverty in society.

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Mike Nussbaum
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Mike joined Shaw Trust in February 2016. Mike sits on the boards of RNIB, Guide Dogs, Vision UK, the Equality and Diversity Forum and supports numerous other charitable organisations.

Mike’s passion for social justice started young when he was involved in a wide range of social action programmes including chairing national youth organisations. Now, following more than 50 years of public service, Mike brings his blind lived experience to Shaw Trust. An active and committed volunteer Mike previously sat on the boards of RNIB, Vision UK, and the Equality and Diversity Forum. Mike is still an active member of the board for Guide Dogs and continues to support numerous other charitable organisations.

Mike is passionate about the added value which volunteers can bring to an organisation as well as the personal benefits of volunteering. Supporting Shaw Trust’s 1,000 person strong volunteer programme, Mike received a national ‘Year of the Volunteer’ Award for services to volunteering in 2005, and in 2008 The Open University awarded him an Honorary Doctorate.

Annamarie Hassall MBE
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Annemarie was appointed to the Board as a trustee in autumn 2019. An expert in her field, she was appointed MBE for services to children and families in 2011.

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To find out more about Annamarie connect on LinkedIn.

Deborah Dorman
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Audrey Coutinho
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Audrey joins as a Trustee in June 2021. Shaw Trust’s inspiring vision for a future where good, rewarding and dignified employment is accessible to all and the values of the Trust were the primary attractions for wanting to be a Trustee at the organisation.

The Trust’s focus on education and training one of the core enablers for an individual’s success in their lives aligns closely with Audrey’s beliefs, so when the opportunity to be involved in supporting this mission was available it was an easy decision to make.

Audrey has always admired and appreciated the commitment and ethos of the third sector and the critical role it plays in civil society with social justice at the heart of it. Having spent over two decades in the corporate world this as the right time to commit and support the sector and use her skills and experience.

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Diane Côté
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Diane holds a number of board roles including at Societe Generale SA and X-Forces Enterprise.

She supports other charitable organisations and is a member of several associations and forums that promote Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace including the Women Network Forum.

Diane had a successful executive career in the UK and in Canada in the financial industry. She has featured in the ‘100 Most Influential Women in European Finance’ for the last six years.

In her last executive role as CRO at London Stock Exchange Group, she chaired the LSEG Foundation was an Executive Committee member and she also launched and championed the gender diversity agenda through the Women Inspired Network and lately the Inclusion Network.

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Paul Baldwin
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After two decades working in the banking and finance industry, in 2009 Paul decided he would rather spend his time working on the causes that he is passionate about.

Since then he has pursued a portfolio career working with a select number of charitable organisations across a range of different sectors. His most significant areas of interest include, disability, education and skills, conservation and the environment, and animal protection, including as chair of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Paul first became aware of Shaw Trust while he was Chair of the Disabled Living Foundation (DLF) and was looking for a suitable merger partner to secure DLF’s long-term future. An immediate meeting of minds led to a successful merger in 2014, and Paul joined the Shaw Trust board in 2016. Other than working as a charity trustee, Paul is happiest when in the mountains: hiking, ultra-running, skiing, or teaching adaptive snow sports to people with a range of different disabilities.

Olly Benzecry
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Olly became our Chair of Trustees in February 2023. He is passionate about helping those with disadvantages to achieve their potential in employment.

In addition to being the Chair of Shaw Trust, Olly is a Trustee of Movement to Work and advises WithYouWithMe, an international provider of skills-based talent management solutions. He is Chair of the Corporate Development Board of the Natural History Museum (NHM) and a member of the Corporate Partnership Board of Cancer Research UK. Olly advises Faculty, a world leading AI provider, as well as being a CEO advisor more broadly.

Previously, Olly was Chair and CEO of Accenture, UK & Ireland

Chris Luck CB MBE DL
Group CEO, Shaw Trust

Chris joined the Trust in May 2019, after a distinguished career in the armed forces.

Chris had not planned to move into the voluntary sector, however, his life experiences, personal values and strong sense of purpose made him the perfect fit to lead Shaw Trust. Ensuring those we support are at the heart of everything we do, Chris has implemented a new organisational structure, reviewed our strategic direction and championed new initiatives, including the Shaw Trust Foundation and Shaw Trust Policy Institute supporting and advocating for social mobility through opportunity.

To find out more about Chris follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.