The Young Influencers Programme: Investing in tomorrow’s brightest
The Young Influencers Programme: Investing in tomorrow’s brightest
Written by Robin Hawthorn, Senior Project Manager – Education Works
We have just concluded this year’s run of Societe Generale’s Young Influencers Programme that consists of a six-month series of interactive workshops, which, through real business case studies, highlights the important role of the banking sector in being part of a sustainable future. The programme aims to equip the future generation with the skills needed to build a successful career while developing their knowledge of the wide range of career opportunities in the Financial Services sector.
“Volunteers being directly involved in similar situations provided valuable insight into real life situations and the different factors involved.”
– Student Feedback
In the first workshop, students learnt about the CSR team at Societe Generale and had the opportunity to utilise their creativity and initiative by matching fictional volunteers from Societe Generale with fictional community and charity partner employees. This exercise had the students work as a collective by deciding who would work best together based on their strengths and desired outcomes. This is linked to the Leaders In Partnership Programme, another Societe Generale and ELBA collaborative programme.
The following workshop focused on Societe Generale’s commitment to combating climate change and promoting affordable, clean energy solutions. Students explored investment opportunities, an offshore wind farm in the UK and an onshore wind farm in Bolivia, then presented to the room on which one they would choose to invest in and why. Some of the students were lucky enough to work with volunteers who are part of the Energy Advisory team who had even more knowledge about this project. This brought together an increased understanding of the financial sector’s role in driving sustainable energy projects.
A new addition to this year’s programme was the Networking and Career Conversations workshop, which consisted of a panel of Societe Generale employees sharing their career journeys and answering student’s questions, followed by a networking aspect where 70 students rotated amongst Societe Generale employees from a wide variety of departments to gain career insights.
“I was able to meet a great and intellectual volunteer that enlightened the workshop and helped me to learn more about finance.”
– Student Feedback
The Young Influencers Programme showcased the strategic and commercial advisory team within Societe Generale, highlighting their creative approaches to delivering solutions. By emphasising an entrepreneurial mindset, it was the catalyst for the students beginning to create their own social enterprise which they would then be working towards for workshop five and six.
In workshops five and six, the teams began working on their own social enterprise. Linking it back to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, they developed comprehensive project plans to tackle specific issues within their local communities. These plans were then reviewed by assessors, whose scores then determined the teams that advanced to the Pitch Day.
Pitch Day took place on June 21 where following all their hard work throughout the programme, the selected teams from Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre and St Edwards presented their own social enterprise idea to a judging panel of senior Societe Generale representatives who decided the winner. Students utilised key employability skills they have been working on throughout the programme
We would like to say a big thank you to everyone that contributed this year to help make it happen, with a special thanks to all the volunteers who took part in the programme, as without them it would not have been possible. We are already planning next year and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible.
“’On behalf of the students at the Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre, I would like to express my utmost gratitude for providing this incredible opportunity. Personally, I feel that my critical thinking and creativity to solve real-life problems have grown exponentially because of this programme, as well as enhancing my ability to compendiously communicate my ideas to esteemed executives. This also has allowed me to gain a better insight into how a professional conducts themselves, which extremely benefits a young, ethnic male from East London like myself. Thank you!”
– Student Feedback
“To the volunteers: Thank you so much for being so accommodating and helpful during this experience. I particularly found that having feedback in preparation and during the pitch day significantly improved my confidence in public speaking. This programme has helped me understand better the numerous different branches of jobs within a bank, information on trust funds and the growing importance of sustainability ie SDGs.”
– Student Feedback
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