4 August 2025
Actioning Social Mobility in MedTech
For young people from disadvantaged or migrant backgrounds, gaining exposure to the career paths in STEM can be challenging.
Last year, our STEM Careers outreach programme reached over 2,500 students and families in the United Kingdom. Grounded in our values of Care, Courage and Collaboration, our volunteer-led initiative inspires, informs and supports students as young as seven through to university age in each step of their STEM journey. We are committed to showing students that they belong in our industry, and we’re thrilled to be selected as a finalist in the UK Social Mobility Awards for the breadth of our activities.
Across both our Hull and Watford sites, a cornerstone of the programme is long-term mentoring with Migrant Leaders, a charity that matches migrant students with mentors to help them navigate exams, job and university interviews and career development. Since our partnership began 5 years ago, over 25 Smith+Nephew employees have served as mentors, with many of these relationships continuing beyond formal programme timelines to create enduring professional networks.
In Hull, our work is deeply embedded in the community, reflecting both the city’s socio-economic needs and our historical ties as one of its largest employers. For example, at Humber STEM’s primary and secondary school events, we provide hands-on device demonstrations with our staff volunteers, sparking curiosity and building confidence in the next generation of MedTech innovators. As one of the founding partners of Ron Dearing University Technical College, we not only advise on the student curriculum, but employ apprentices from the college on four-year technical contracts to earn while they learn.
In Watford, our STEM Careers outreach programme focuses on opportunities for older students, particularly those aged 16–19 who are transitioning from education to employment.
In 2024, our Annual STEM Career Conference welcomed 120 students from state schools to our Royal College of Surgeons-accredited surgeon training facility. During the conference, students were able to participate in immersive surgery demonstrations and interview sessions with our staff to learn more about career paths.
Those attending our Career Conference are offered the opportunity to apply for work experience placements at our London Academy, which provide high-impact, bespoke learning over several days to combine technical knowledge with interpersonal skills. Auri De Vries, Senior Manager in Medical Education who runs the placements, is inspired by memories of his own uncertainty when first considering a career in STEM:
“Growing up, there weren’t the opportunities to get hands-on experience in medical education. I’d done work experience at a hospital and I knew it wasn’t for me, but I wasn’t aware of other roles in the field, especially not at a FTSE 100 company. A company of our size has a responsibility to the next generation of medical technicians in laying the foundations for their careers.”
Whether through a five-minute chat at a careers fair or a two-week placement, we’re proud of our programme’s impact in building a brighter and more inclusive future for STEM, one student at a time.