GROW Your Future
Since 2017, Capital Connections has offered Lancaster University students a unique opportunity to step beyond campus and into the professional world. Delivered by the GROW Your Future (GYF) team within Lancaster University Careers Service, in collaboration with the Alumni Team, the Capital Connections programme illustrates how alumni engagement can transform students’ confidence, networks and career trajectories.
GROW Your Future is a widening participation careers initiative supporting over 1,100 students each year. Students come from underrepresented backgrounds, including students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, first generation students, care experienced students, students with a disability, global majority student, refugees, and many others who often face additional barriers in the graduate labour market. GYF offers an opt in community that provides tailored, inclusive and
Capital Connections Panel Event 2023
sustained careers support, helping students develop career plans, employability skills, professional confidence and networks. It recognises that students’ identities and experiences are intersectional, with participants typically holding an average of 2.3 widening participation characteristics.
One of GYF’s flagship initiatives is Capital Connections. Each year, 60 students are selected through a competitive recruitment process to take part in free two day trips to Manchester or London. Designed
to demystify graduate careers and expand students’ horizons, the programme allows participants to visit organisations, meet employers, explore new cities and, crucially, connect with Lancaster alumni working across a wide range of sectors.
Across the two days, students visit multiple organisations, hear directly from graduates at different stages of their careers, and gain insight into how businesses and institutions operate day to day. Many of the employer visits are hosted
Capital Connections Employer Visit
12 | STEPS 2026
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