Launch of our new CSR initiative: the Young Influencers Programme
Today we’ve launched our new flagship Young Influencers Programme for 16 to 18-year-olds in the UK, designed to increase employment opportunities for under-represented groups in the financial services sector, reflecting our business’ ongoing commitment to foster inclusivity and diversity in society.
Aimed at school and college goers in East London, the Young Influencers Programme is designed to equip them with the knowledge and skills to improve their employability and realise opportunities for them in the sector. The pilot year is being launched in partnership with three colleges with plans to expand further. This annual programme begins with 75 students in the first year, with a focus on young women, Black, Asian and minority ethnic students and students from a low socio-economic background.
The programme will run across six sessions, focused on how the financial services sector helps meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in communities around the UK. Led by external facilitators from the East London Business Alliance and supported by our employee volunteers, the sessions will explore real life banking case studies, allowing the students to learn how the banking sector is an important part of the solution to building a sustainable future.
We are proud to have launched this initiative and hope it equips young people with the skills needed to build a successful career and make a positive impact, while also helping them realise their professional potential and ambitions. At Societe Generale we remain committed to making a better and more sustainable future for our society and communities.
Christophe Lattuada, CEO, Societe Generale London Branch and UK Chief Country Officer
Young Influencers Programme participants will be invited to apply for a work experience placement during the summer of 2022, giving them the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills and knowledge into practice in the workplace, with support from Societe Generale employees.
We are looking forward to our students taking part as this will raise their aspirations, improve their self-confidence and commercial awareness, and give them a chance to develop soft skills such as communication and team work. Our students find presentations particularly challenging, so the programme finishing with a presentation task will be hugely beneficial.
James Bounds, Director of Emerging Talent, Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre
For more information about the programme and our volunteering initiatives, please click here.