Uptree

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17 2026

Uptree publishes first social value report, revealing up to £3 million generated through employer partnerships

Every £1 invested by employers created between £1.87 and £3.16 in social value for young people across the UK in 2024/2025.

Uptree, the social mobility organisation connecting employers with young people from underrepresented backgrounds, has released its first ever social value report, quantifying the impact created through its employer partnerships in the 2024/2025 academic year.

The report, Creating Social Value, marks the first time Uptree has measured its work using a published social value framework. All figures have been calculated through MeasureUp, an open valuation framework aligned with HM Treasury Green Book guidance.

In 2024/2025, Uptree's employer partnerships generated between £1.77 million and £3 million in social value, equating to between £1.87 and £3.16 in social benefit for every £1 invested by employers.

The year in numbers

Across the 2024/2025 academic year:

• 3,633 students gained real experiences of work through in-person and online events, generating between £487,407 and £649,875 in social value
• 143 students went on to secure apprenticeships, early careers roles, internships and longer placements, generating between £1.2 million and £2.3 million in social value
• 3,272 students enrolled in Uptree's online careers courses
• Employee volunteering at Uptree events created between £43,738 and £58,317 in social value

The report also highlights who this value reached. Across Uptree's experiences of work, 48 per cent of students were eligible for free school meals, 65 per cent would be the first generation in their family to attend university and 79 per cent came from minoritised ethnic backgrounds.

A starting point, not a destination

Oby Bamidele, CEO of Uptree, said:

"The difference this work makes for young people has never been the question. We see the impact every day, in the confidence students gain and the tangible outcomes that follow. What we did not have was a way to estimate the social value of that using a published framework. This report is that estimate. It is a starting point, not the destination."

Catherine Manning, Head of Impact Practice at Impact Reporting and Programme Lead at MeasureUp, said:

"Social value practice, at its best, is about addressing inequality. Using the MeasureUp framework, Uptree has started to put figures around impact that was always present but previously hard to articulate. I hope it encourages others to consider what social value measurement could look like in their own organisations."

Hannah Scott, Data and Impact Manager at Uptree and author of the report, said:

"The ability to quantify social value methodically, and communicate it clearly, strengthens the case for every employer to invest in early talent and social mobility. I hope this report serves as a clear demonstration of what employer investment in social mobility can achieve."

Why it matters for employers

With social value now carrying a minimum 10 per cent weighting in central government procurement and ESG reporting expectations extending to skills and access, employers face growing pressure to evidence the impact of their early careers activity.

The report gives Uptree's employer partners, which include leading organisations across law, finance, technology and professional services, an evidenced, reportable social value figure that can be built into ESG reporting, procurement bids and stakeholder communications.

The full report, including case studies and complete methodology, is available to download at uptree.co

ENDS

Notes to editors

About Uptree Uptree is a professional network dedicated to fostering social mobility and bridging skills gaps. It connects employers with a diverse pool of talented young people, focusing outreach on schools with high numbers of students from low-income communities. Uptree currently reaches 300,000+ students through 800+ school partnerships across the UK.

About MeasureUp MeasureUp is a free, open valuation framework built in partnership with Impact Reporting, PRD and State of Life. It aligns with the UK Treasury's definition of social value as the wellbeing of the population (WELLBY) and provides a scale from Bronze to Gold+ depending on methods of measurement. More at www.measure-up.org

About the methodology All figures are calculated at MeasureUp's Bronze level using 2023 prices. Conservative impact discounts of 25 to 75 per cent have been applied to avoid over-attributing outcomes to Uptree or its employer partners. The lower-bound figures reflect discounted estimates; upper-bound figures represent values prior to discounting. Full calculation detail is published in Appendix A of the report.

Media contact info@uptree.co 07593 536277 or visit uptree.co