OUR COMMITMENT TO SUPPORTING YOUNG PEOPLE

2021-07-20 07:51:16.0

At BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, we are committed to being a force for positive change and believe every young person deserves opportunities to succeed in life.

In line with our business commitments to be a role model company and employer and make a positive impact beyond our business, we focus our efforts on where we can make the greatest difference – tackling youth unemployment and helping young people gain confidence to achieve their potential.

Getting a foot in the door of the workplace has always been a challenge for UK school and college leavers, and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has only made this more difficult. Here we share eight ways BNP Paribas Personal Finance is dedicated to supporting young people in our community. 
 

1. Laptops for Schools

During the coronavirus pandemic, the situation around youth unemployment has only got worse. And with young people across the nation forced to switch to remote learning, this crisis has brought digital poverty into sharp focus. To help tackle this issue on a local level, we recently donated 100 laptops to schools across Birmingham through the Birmingham Education Partnership (BEP) in a bid to support students of all ages with home learning.
 

2. Apprenticeship Programmes

We are passionate about helping young people gain the skills they need to enter the workplace, offering best-in-class apprenticeships and upward mobility opportunities for all of our colleagues, so that young job seekers can start and maintain a rewarding career within our business. Students on our apprenticeship programme gain valuable work experience alongside important qualifications, providing them with a brilliant route into the workplace.
 

3. Student Placements

We also provide placement years for undergraduates looking to gain experience in the world of work. For many, coming straight out of university and into the ‘real world’ can be daunting for many, so by giving undergraduates the opportunity to experience the workplace before they complete their qualifications, we are able to arm them with the skills they’ll need after they graduate.
 

4. Careers Fairs and Events

As a business, we strongly believe that employers like us play a vital role in providing students with a pathway into the world of work, and over the past few years we have participated in a number of careers fairs and events aimed at providing young people with careers advice. These events give young people an opportunity to quiz us on careers, life at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK and the skills they will need to develop in order to pursue their dream role.

Working closely with the Ahead Partnership on its Growing Talent #BPFS initiative, the BNP Paribas Personal Finance team has supported a series of recorded career panels aimed at young people. Our head of brand and external communications, Jayne Licari, has been speaking on a panel about considering careers in PR and advertising, which was shared with more than 200 schools across the West Midlands.
 

5. Awards

We are delighted to support the Future Faces Birmingham Young Professional of the Year awards, which help to encourage the growth of the professional services sector in Birmingham. These prestigious industry accolades recognise incredible talent across the Second City and give the winners a platform to further their careers. You can read our conversation with BYPY 2019 Aspiring Talent winner Heidi on her atypical path to success here.
 

6. Youth Sport Sponsorship

An important part of our commitment to supporting young people is giving opportunities to those who need them the most, and our partnership with Dallaglio RugbyWorks has enabled the charity to deliver their successful programme for disadvantaged teenagers across the Midlands.

When it comes to making a positive difference in our local community, we like to take a hands-on approach – and the Career Taster Days we have hosted for students on the Dallaglio RugbyWorks programme are something we are very proud of. These events have seen team members across the business, including our CEO Stephen Hunt, get involved – and due to the success of these workshops we’ve also supported some of our partners, such as Dixons Carphone, to run their own career taster days.

 

7. Dragons’ Den Challenge

Earlier this year we partnered with the Solihull Careers Hub to deliver a Dragons’ Den inspired challenge for Summerfield Education Centre students. As part of this, colleagues across the business volunteered their time to inspire the students who got to grips with real-life business decisions and gained insight into the world of work.

 

8. Volunteering

We take our responsibility as a major employer in the region very seriously, giving back to the local community sits within our business’s core values. Through BNP Paribas Group’s #1MillionHours2Help global programme, our colleagues are also given one day a year to donate their time and volunteer for a charity or cause close to their hearts. And, in line with our focus on tackling youth unemployment, many of our team member have chosen to support charities that align with this goal.
 

Championing youth employment will always be at the heart of what we do as a business, whether this is through our apprenticeships or longstanding partnerships with charities that make a positive impact. From celebrating the best professional talent in the region as lead sponsor of the BYPY awards to helping Dallaglio RugbyWorks engage teenagers outside of mainstream education, we’re proud to support some fantastic causes that help bridge the gap between businesses and the next generation of talent.

Find out more about our CSR commitments here.