Building bridges: a critical analysis of university and industry collaboration to improve diverse access to elite professions

This article explores how both universities and industry can work together to improve access to graduate opportunities for disadvantaged students. Focusing on an initiative which involved students from a post-1992 university experiencing London's legal sector, this article analyses the factors which contribute to students' perceptions of their increased self-efficacy as a result of participating in the event. Utilising a focus group methodology, the article critically examines the barriers that can be imposed by students' socio-economic backgrounds which may prevent such initiatives from having a meaningful impact on diverse recruitment and fair access to higher professional occupations. Focusing in on 2 particular strands of the Triple Helix Model, this article also makes some recommendations as to how more effective bridges can be built between universities and industry to improve access for all to the elite professions.