2026 Social Mobility Insight Day UK

At OC&C, we believe that where you start should not determine how far you can go. Access to opportunity is not evenly distributed and socio-economic background remains one of the biggest barriers to entry into strategy consulting, with students from less advantaged backgrounds significantly under-represented across the industry. We’re committed to widening access and building a firm that reflects the diversity of the society and clients we serve.

Our Social Mobility Insight Day is designed to help address this imbalance by providing students with access, insight and practical preparation - alongside a clear pathway into a full-time role at OC&C.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

This insight day will run on Wednesday 26th August 2026. Please note this is the only date available for this programme, so please ensure you can attend this specific date.

During the insight day, you’ll:

• Learn what strategy consulting really involves and the type of work we do at OC&C
• Take part in interactive case study sessions
• Practise case study interviews with OC&C consultants, with real-time feedback and coaching
• Build key consulting skills such as structured thinking, problem-solving and communication
• Meet members of our Social Diversity Network, with the opportunity to ask questions and hear about their experiences
• Gain practical guidance on applications, interviews and next steps into consulting
• Enjoy a lunch, evening activity and dinner with consultants and network members, giving you the chance to build connections in a relaxed setting

Please note, all travel expenses to & from the London office & if required, 1 night’s accommodation will be covered by OC&C for this programme.

A PATHWAY INTO CONSULTING:

This programme is more than just an insight day - it is designed to provide a clear route into our full-time graduate roles. In the weeks following the insight day, participants will progress through to our two-stage interview process. Successful candidates at final stage will have the opportunity to secure a full-time graduate role at OC&C (for start dates of September 2027, January 2028, March 2028).

APPLICATION PROCESS:

The process will consist of the following stages:

• CV Submission – Please remove name & contact details.
• Online assessments with two parts (Part 1 - Numerical & logical reasoning test, Part 2 - one-way video assessment)
• Successful applicants will be invited to attend the Insight Day
• In the weeks following the Insight Day, candidates will complete two 30-minute virtual first-stage case study interviews with Consultants and Managers
• Candidates who are successful will then be invited to complete two 45-minute in-person case study interviews
• Full-time job offer for successful candidates, with start dates available in September 2027, January 2028 or March 2028

WHO CAN APPLY:

Undergraduate students from any degree discipline in their penultimate year of study. Individuals who are curious, motivated and interested in problem-solving and real-world business challenges. As the aim of this programme is to break the barriers into consulting for students from more socially disadvantaged backgrounds, it is important that you meet one of the below criteria to qualify for this programme:

• Attended a state school between the ages of 11-16
• You were eligible for free school meals at any point between 11 and 16 years old
• You grew up in a household where no parent or guardian had attended university
• You work/have worked more than 16 hours per week during your term time at school/university
• The occupation of your parent(s) or guardian(s) when you were aged 14 is classed as lower social-economic, (according to guidance from the Social Mobility Foundation)
• You came to this country as a refugee/asylum seeker
• You have spent time in local authority care
• You were a parent or carer before the age of 21 and/or a registered carer at any age.

No prior consulting experience is required - we’re looking for potential, not polish. At OC&C, we believe diverse perspectives lead to better thinking, stronger teams and better outcomes. We’re proud to be taking practical steps to improve representation in consulting and look forward to welcoming you to the programme!

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

The deadline to apply is 23:59 on 15th March 2026. However, we review applications on a rolling basis, meaning this vacancy will remain open for a minimum of seven days, but may close earlier if all spaces are filled. We therefore encourage early applications.

PLEASE NOTE: We ask that all candidates remove their name and contact information from their CV before submitting alongside their application. OC&C is a Disability Confident Committed Employer - if you require any reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process, please include this information in the relevant section of your application form and we will work with you to accommodate these.

Please also make sure that any correspondence from OC&C Strategy Consultants is included on your email provider's safe sender list, as occasionally candidates have missed communication from us when emails have been directed into their junk folder.

Please note, whilst we currently have multiple live opportunities for our insight programmes, we ask that candidates only apply to one of these at a time. You will not be able to submit applications for multiple insight programmes, therefore, please only make one application to your preferred programme. We appreciate you may feel aligned to more than one of our programmes, therefore, should you wish to discuss your choice, please email the Recruitment Team who will be happy to provide support.