- New Universities UK ‘100 Faces campaign’ aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of first in the family graduates in order to highlight the need for access to support
- The Rt Hon. Professor the Lord David Blunkett was the first in his family to attend university and graduated with an honours degree from the University of Sheffield in 1972
- Lord Blunkett served 28 years in Parliament and 45 years as an elected representative in the Sheffield area
The extraordinary success of a high-profile graduate from the University of Sheffield, who was the first in his family to attend university, is being highlighted in a new national campaign, led by Universities UK (UUK).
The Rt Hon. Professor the Lord David Blunkett, who graduated with an honours degree from the University of Sheffield in 1972, was a first-generation University student – and has since gone on to be a British Labour Party politician and a Member of the House of Lords since 2015.
He is now being featured alongside England footballer Beth Mead, Nobel Prize winner Sir Chris Pissarides and actor Amit Shah in UUK’s ‘100 Faces campaign’, which aims to champion and celebrate the positive impact of ‘first in the family’ (FitF) graduates on the UK, in order to highlight the need for access to support, and to ensure the next generation can reach their graduate potential.
Lord Blunkett was born on 6 June 1947 in Sheffield and had a challenging time growing up. He was blind from birth because of improperly developed optic nerves, forcing his parents to send him to a council boarding school for the visually impaired on the other side of the city. In 1959, his father died in an industrial accident, leaving his family poverty stricken.
After attending the Royal Normal College for the Blind at Rowton Castle near Shrewsbury, which offered a more vocational education, Lord Blunkett returned to his home city of Sheffield and took up employment as a shorthand typist at the East Midlands Gas Board, earning £12 a week.
He then became a trade union representative and continued to gain qualifications at evening classes and on day release from work, before becoming the first member of his family to go to university. He graduated with an honours degree in Political Theory and Institutions from the University of Sheffield in 1972 and went on to gain a post-graduate certificate for the teaching of post-16 students from what is now the University of Huddersfield.
Lord Blunkett became a councillor in 1970 whilst still at university and went on to become the youngest ever Leader of Sheffield City Council in 1980. At the 1987 general election he was elected MP for Sheffield Brightside with a large majority and joined the shadow cabinet in 1992 as Shadow Health Secretary.
After Labour’s landslide victory in 1997 he became Secretary of State for Education and Employment, becoming Britain’s first blind cabinet minister. At the start of Labour’s second term in 2001, he was promoted to Home Secretary. He served in Tony Blair’s cabinet for eight years.
In total, Lord Blunkett served 28 years in Parliament and 45 years as an elected representative in the Sheffield area. He was also awarded a peerage in 2015 and created Baron Blunkett, of Brightside and Hillsborough in the City of Sheffield.
Alongside his political roles, Lord Blunkett is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.
Speaking about Lord Blunkett’s achievements, Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “Lord Blunkett is a fantastic role model and exemplar of what students who are the first in their family to attend university can achieve. We are grateful that he continues to be a passionate and outstanding ambassador for the University of Sheffield and the higher education sector, inspiring the next generation.
“At the University of Sheffield, we understand the unique challenges and immense potential of our first-generation students. Earning a degree can be a transformative experience and opens doors to new career paths, fosters intellectual growth, and equips students with the skills to be a leader in their community.”
As part of UUK’s 100 Faces campaign, new research reveals the transformative impact of going to university on ambition, with almost three quarters (73 per cent) of FitF students agreeing their degree gave them the confidence to apply for jobs without feeling like an imposter.
The research also highlights FiF students’ reliance on depreciating financial support - without financial support, over four in 10 FitF graduates couldn’t have afforded to go to university at all. This is equivalent to around 1.1 million 24–40-year-olds in England and Wales.
Lord Blunkett said: “I grew up in one of the most deprived parts of Britain. I know the problems which inner-city children face. In today’s world, learning has become the key to economic prosperity, social cohesion and personal fulfilment.”
With financial provisions dwindling and the cost of living rising, UUK is calling for government to reinstate maintenance grants and increase support for future students.
The success of students like Lord Blunkett is testament to the extraordinary role university can play – particularly for those students who are the first in their family to attend and face significant barriers before they even set foot on campus.
In light of this, UUK is campaigning to highlight the achievements of the extraordinary first in family graduates in every community, and to ensure that future generations don’t miss out on the transformative impact of a university education.
Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive of Universities UK, commented: “There are those who say that too many people go to university. I disagree. These stories tell you why. In this country you are still twice as likely to go to university if you are from the wealthiest background, compared to the least wealthy. That’s not right.
“The experiences of students who are the first in their families to have been to university tell a powerful story.”
