Mali Gunter
About
My research project
Widening access to higher/degree apprenticeships for young people from underrepresented backgrounds.My current research interests focus on access to higher education, graduate employability, and workforce mobility, particularly exploring how young people from underrepresented backgrounds navigate higher and degree apprenticeship pathways as alternative routes into professional careers.
Grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of capitals, the research examines how social, cultural, and economic capital influence access to opportunities, career progression, and long-term labour market outcomes. Through combining qualitative insights, policy analysis, and quantitative data, it identifies structural barriers affecting participation, retention, and progression within apprenticeship and workforce systems.
This work also informs my commercial venture, Guapo, an AI-enabled workforce platform focused on addressing critical UK national security challenges arising from technology skills shortages and persistent demographic disparities in employment. Currently operating at a £2bn pre-seed valuation, I originally founded Guapo to address barriers to social mobility and expand access to professional careers for talent from underrepresented backgrounds.
Positioned within the UK apprenticeship and skills market, estimated at over £3bn, Guapo is building scalable talent pipelines into tech and AI to close critical capability gaps, strengthen domestic workforce resilience and support the UK government's long-term technological and national security priorities.
Supervisors
My current research interests focus on access to higher education, graduate employability, and workforce mobility, particularly exploring how young people from underrepresented backgrounds navigate higher and degree apprenticeship pathways as alternative routes into professional careers.
Grounded in Bourdieu’s theory of capitals, the research examines how social, cultural, and economic capital influence access to opportunities, career progression, and long-term labour market outcomes. Through combining qualitative insights, policy analysis, and quantitative data, it identifies structural barriers affecting participation, retention, and progression within apprenticeship and workforce systems.
This work also informs my commercial venture, Guapo, an AI-enabled workforce platform focused on addressing critical UK national security challenges arising from technology skills shortages and persistent demographic disparities in employment. Currently operating at a £2bn pre-seed valuation, I originally founded Guapo to address barriers to social mobility and expand access to professional careers for talent from underrepresented backgrounds.
Positioned within the UK apprenticeship and skills market, estimated at over £3bn, Guapo is building scalable talent pipelines into tech and AI to close critical capability gaps, strengthen domestic workforce resilience and support the UK government's long-term technological and national security priorities.
My qualifications
Business, industry and community links
Within the music industry, I engage closely with Black urban culture and community networks, with a focus on building community ownership and strengthening social infrastructure. Through urban storytelling and cultural commentary, my work explores how race, class, sport, and music, intersect to create pathways to prosperity for young people from low-income and racially marginalised backgrounds. Drawing on both my own art and the work of leading artists, I aim to foster conversations around identity, belonging, and social mobility in contemporary Britain, while connecting these themes to wider debates on community, capitalism, and inclusive economic development.
Alongside my work in academia and entrepreneurship through Guapo and Trapanomics, I perform as an artist, DJ, and record producer, under the name Guapo Marlz, within the UK Rap world.
My involvement in music, urban culture, and cultural entrepreneurship directly informs my academic research, offering practical insights into how cultural capital, creative networks, and community engagement shape opportunities for young people. These experiences complement my research on social mobility, apprenticeships, and equity, enabling me to explore how creative and professional pathways intersect for underrepresented youth.
ResearchResearch interests
Current areas of research interest are focused on social mobility, diversity and inclusion, graduate employability, and higher and degree apprenticeships, particularly exploring how young people from underrepresented backgrounds access and navigate professional career pathways. A central area of focus is the use of sports gamification and culturally relevant engagement models to increase participation in tech and digital skills pathways amongst young people aged 18–30.
This includes examining how sports gamification can influence motivation, confidence, aspiration, workplace preparedness, and long-term engagement with professional development opportunities, particularly amongst young people who may feel disconnected from traditional academic or corporate environments.
By understanding how gamified engagement and cultural relevance shape participation and career decision-making, the work aims to generate insight into more inclusive approaches to talent development, digital skills adoption, graduate employability, and equitable workforce outcomes within the UK skills and apprenticeship landscape.
Research projects
Access Unlocked: Pathways To ApprenticeshipsThrough Guapo, a collaboration was established with the youth-led platform Investate to deliver Access Unlocked: Pathways to Apprenticeships in partnership with Queen Mary University of London as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science (2026).
The event was designed to increase access to apprenticeship and professional career opportunities for students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. It delivered practical employability guidance, industry insight, and career development support across tech, digital industries, and emerging professional sectors.
The event also showcased Guapo’s approach to workforce development and digital skills engagement, demonstrating how social mobility platforms can support talent development, workplace preparedness, and social mobility outcomes at scale.
Research interests
Current areas of research interest are focused on social mobility, diversity and inclusion, graduate employability, and higher and degree apprenticeships, particularly exploring how young people from underrepresented backgrounds access and navigate professional career pathways. A central area of focus is the use of sports gamification and culturally relevant engagement models to increase participation in tech and digital skills pathways amongst young people aged 18–30.
This includes examining how sports gamification can influence motivation, confidence, aspiration, workplace preparedness, and long-term engagement with professional development opportunities, particularly amongst young people who may feel disconnected from traditional academic or corporate environments.
By understanding how gamified engagement and cultural relevance shape participation and career decision-making, the work aims to generate insight into more inclusive approaches to talent development, digital skills adoption, graduate employability, and equitable workforce outcomes within the UK skills and apprenticeship landscape.
Research projects
Through Guapo, a collaboration was established with the youth-led platform Investate to deliver Access Unlocked: Pathways to Apprenticeships in partnership with Queen Mary University of London as part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science (2026).
The event was designed to increase access to apprenticeship and professional career opportunities for students from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds. It delivered practical employability guidance, industry insight, and career development support across tech, digital industries, and emerging professional sectors.
The event also showcased Guapo’s approach to workforce development and digital skills engagement, demonstrating how social mobility platforms can support talent development, workplace preparedness, and social mobility outcomes at scale.