Making a Difference at Barclays

This October has seen a MAD amount of skills sharing taking place, as Barclays have welcomed students from across east London into their offices for a series of workshops as a part of their Make A Difference (MAD) month.

This year we have had six schools attending different sessions at Barclays HQ, ranging from Career Insights to Leadership Workshops. Volunteers from across the business supported the students by sharing their own experiences of interviews and management styles, as well as answering questions on what working life is like at Barclays and taking them on a tour of the building.

Students in Year 10, from Royal Docks Academy, attended a Leadership Workshop with volunteers who spoke with the students about different styles and approaches to Leadership, with students discussing how they might utilise these styles and skills in their school, setting an example to younger students, and taking on a more senior role in the school.

Another session saw beneficiaries from Skills for Growth taking part in a Mock Interviews workshop. Skills for Growth was established to respond directly to the growing number of young people leaving school without the necessary skills to enter the world of work. Skills for Growth supports young people through education and training programmes. Feedback from the session was overwhelmingly positive, with one young person sharing that the day taught them “to never give up on your dream or what you have planned for the future”.

Other feedback included a Year 11 student from Eden Girls Academy saying “I enjoyed today, really useful and very good volunteers!” and a Year 10 student from Royal Docks Academy saying “I enjoyed today, great stuff, thank you!”