We should create more paid student research opportunities focused on social mobility, inequality, and injustice. UWE has a diverse student body, and many students have direct experience of the barriers that research often discusses from a distance: cost of living pressures, class inequality, commuting, disability access, educational disadvantage, housing issues, and the challenge of balancing work with study.
Paid research roles would allow students to contribute to meaningful projects while gaining valuable experience, skills, and confidence. This could include work on surveys, interviews, data analysis, literature reviews, community research, and partnerships with schools, councils, charities, and local organisations.
This matters because unpaid opportunities often benefit students who already have financial security and academic confidence. If UWE wants to support social mobility, research experience should be paid, accessible, and open to students from all backgrounds.