Lifelong Learning Apprenticeship

Objective

To help adults seeking employment after a period out of work and to create a pipeline of older recruits to build a workforce demographic that is diverse and reflects the make-up of Barclays’ customer base.

Overview and Main Activities

Barclays created a three-week pre-employment course, including one week of work experience, to help those out of work for over 12 months to refresh their skills and build their confidence in preparation for interviews. This initiative increases their chances of gaining an apprenticeship place in Barclays or employment elsewhere. The programme’s target audience is anyone over the age of 24 and it focuses on those out of work for over 12 months. No previous experience in banking is required. During the course, individuals learn about the culture and values of Barclays, acquire digital skills they will use in the workplace and refresh their interview skills. They work with external trainers and Barclays staff to help them understand the world of banking and build their confidence in readiness for their work experience and interview.

Successful candidates then join either Barclays’ Skybranch telephone operation as personal bankers or Barclays’ branch network as community advisers where they will undertake an apprenticeship in delivering financial services. This will support them in gaining banking qualifications through the Chartered Banking Institute and progressing on to further qualifications and more senior roles. Barclays will provide specific training on digital skills so all apprentices can become Digital Eagles* and support Barclays’ older customers with the transition to the new digital world.

The apprenticeship training programme will last between 12 and 18 months and lead to a permanent job in Barclays. Apprentices will study a level two or three qualification in delivering financial services. They will learn about a range of financial products and services through on-the-job training, online resources and classroombased learning. In addition, they will be assigned an external development coach to support their development.

*Digital Eagles are employees who have put themselves forward and who are tasked not only with helping Barclays customers who come into the branches and express an interest in its digital products, but also with going into the communities in which they operate and helping citizens get online and become digitally active.

Success Factors and Challenges

Most critical success factors:

• External and internal funding support as well as a suitable external delivery partner
• Strategic alignment of the initiative with organization priorities
• A strong brand name for the initiative to attract the right people
• Good content to ensure that a quality programme and the right experience is delivered

Main challenges:

The main challenge was to find the right branding and positioning of the programme to ensure Barclays attracts its key target audience, i.e. those seeking to get back into employment, rather than career changers. Barclays also had to ensure they do not fall foul of age-discrimination legislation in seeking to target a particular demographic. Also important is to find the right roles within the organization to maximize the skills and knowledge of this more experienced age group.

Recommendations for Others

The key to success is to have a clear focus on who is being targeted and the business benefits, and to find areas of the business where the skills and knowledge of this demographic can best be utilized.

Replicability and Scalability

How easily could other organizations implement this initiative?
Easy: The removal of age-related funding restrictions on apprenticeships over the next 18 months in the United Kingdom will mean that funding is available to support this type of programme.

How easily can this initiative be expanded to include a larger number of participants?
Easy: The available labour force means that attracting older talent via this route is feasible and the apprentice model provides a supported, funded development pathway to hire older workers.

About the Organization

Website: www.barclays.com
Sector: Banking and Capital Markets
Size (number of employees): 100,000+
Headquarters: London, United Kingdom

For Further Engagement

Contact name: Mike Thompson
Contact position: Director Early Careers
Email: [email protected]