Barclays: Fostering inclusive growth through meaningful work

Barclays has played a part in driving economic growth and societal progress for over 327 years. Today, we have more opportunity to play a role in fostering innovation and inclusive growth for all – now, and as we develop the future of banking.

United by our common Purpose, we are working together to help people rise – customers, clients, colleagues and society, which in turn means Barclays can rise too.

We are proud that our commitment to meaningful work supports Sustainable Development Goal 8, to ‘Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all’.

Building connections across the employment gap

Barclays is committed to upskilling millions of people and driving job creation. We are building connections across both sides of the employment gap — providing people with key skills they need to get into work and enabling access to meaningful job opportunities.

Through LifeSkills, we are helping people get the skills and experiences they need to enter the world of work. So far this programme has helped more than 6.7 million young people to develop employability skills, gain confidence and motivation. By extending its reach to cover the entire workforce, Barclays aims to help an additional 10 million adults build the skills they need to succeed in the workplace and move forward in their careers.

Barclays Connect with Work provides people, from often overlooked communities, with the specific skills they need to get a meaningful job with organisations that are hiring. We’re making the connection for them with companies looking for new employees, including Barclays clients and suppliers. Globally, Connect with Work has already supported thousands of people into work and is providing a pipeline of new, diverse talent.

Supporting entrepreneurs to grow and to create new jobs

Our national network of 18 Eagle Labs provides UK entrepreneurs, individuals and ambitious businesses with the space, tools and confidence to innovate and scale. We offer co-working hubs and office space, structured mentoring, events designed to help businesses grow, industry and corporate transformation and access to new and emerging technologies. To date we have supported more than 400 businesses and 1,350 co-workers, demonstrating our commitment to fuel the UK entrepreneurial community.

Barclays recognises that entrepreneurs are key to future job creation. Unreasonable Impact is the world’s first international network of accelerators focused on scaling up entrepreneurial solutions that will help employ thousands worldwide, while solving some of our most pressing societal challenges. With advice and guidance from a community of world-class mentors and industry specialists, the programme has supported growth-stage ventures to collectively create 7,000 new jobs and positively impact over 100 million people.

By supporting people into meaningful work and helping entrepreneurs to grow, we believe that their economic prospects increase, improving the prospects of their families, communities, society and the economy as a whole.