2 | About LifeSkills
barclayslifeskills.com
The motivation behind the LifeSkills programme is to inspire millions of young people and equip them with the skills they need to move forward into the 21st century workplace. LifeSkills brings together educators, businesses, young people and parents to achieve this. We support young people to succeed in a changing job landscape by helping them to develop essential 21st century skills, like problem solving, creativity, communication and proactivity, which employers are looking for now and in the future.
*Source: the Bloomberg Job Skills Report, 2015: ‘What Recruiters Really Want’
The most desired workplace skills of the future are:
Strategicthinking
Leadershipskills
Communicationskills
Creativeproblem solving
About LifeSkills | 3
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Welcome to LifeSkills
*Quantifying The Value Of ‘Soft Skills’, Forbes, 2016
The world of work has changed dramatically in recent years, meaning young people today need a whole raft of skills that show they can adapt to this ever changing landscape. 21st century skills like problem solving, communication and leadership are the most highly desired by employers, and yet the least commonly seen in young candidates*.
That’s where LifeSkills comes in, providing free access to a wealth of lesson plans, interactive tools, blogs and films to help young people move forward into the world of work. With tailored support for young people, educators and parents, LifeSkills is constantly being updated with new content designed to develop the skills needed to succeed in the 21st century workplace.
More than 5 million young people have participated in the programme so far and we know the positive impact it’s had in preparing them for employment. LifeSkills is committed to ensuring all young people have access to the support and guidance they need to set themselves up for success.
Whether you’re an educator looking for content to inspire creativity in your students, a parent who wants to know how to support your young person to build a stand-out CV, or a young person looking to discover your skills, this guide explains everything you need to know about how LifeSkills can help you. Not only this, businesses can get involved too by offering work experience placements through the programme.
We’d love to hear more about how you’re using the programme. Share your stories @YourLifeSkills and @LifeSkills_Ed.
Kirstie Mackey Director of LifeSkills
4 | About LifeSkills
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LifeSkills at a glance
LifeSkills offers lesson plans and teaching guides for educators, interactive content for young people, tips for parents, guidance for businesses, access to work experience and so much more, all to help young people get ready for the 21st century workplace. Explore everything from writing a CV to shining in an interview, boosting leadership skills, developing confidence and learning to manage money on the LifeSkills website: barclayslifeskills.com
Interactive content for young people
Social media and blogs
Guides for educators
Dedicated parents’ resourcesWork experience opportunities
Curriculum-linked resources
We know the positive impact LifeSkills is already having on young people
are more confident to succeed in a job
83%are more confident in interviews
84%
are more motivated and want to achieve more
72%feel more confident about the future
68%
So, now we’re taking it to the next level...
Next
About LifeSkills | 5
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LifeSkills: the impact
Over 5 million young people have participated in the programme since its launch in April 2013.
2017 percentage of education organisations that have registered with LifeSkills
Chrysalis Evaluation of LifeSkills 2017
52,000educators registered across the UK
LifeSkills is helping to improve levels of confidence about the future, motivating young people to do better in their academic studies and feel better prepared to make future career decisions:
71% felt they now had higher ambitions and aspirations
96%of teachers rated LifeSkills resources as good or very good 86%
felt more motivated to do better in academic and vocational studies
Positive impact on young people
78%understand the skills needed for the 21st century workplace
Over 5 million in 5 years
FE colleges
66%
Secondary schools
84% 74%
Universities
6 | About LifeSkills
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LifeSkills for young people
Young people can access content tailored to them by searching by life stage and what they need help with; for example, they could be at college or just left education and looking for help with applying for jobs or preparing for an interview. From there, they can access interactive tools, films, tips and blogs, to help them understand how they can strengthen the skills they need for success in the 21st century workplace, such as creativity, communication, and problem solving.
I want to gain experience and build my network
I want virtual work experience
Build 21st century skills
Experience a real-life workplace
I want to build my confidence and be more assertive
I want to prepare for an interview
Boost confidence
Perfect interview technique
I want to use my online presence to get ahead
Build a strong CV
Understand financial fraud and risk
I want to get to grips with money and my payslip
About LifeSkills | 7
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“I’m 19 years old and have just completed 14 years of full-time education. I should be on the cusp of getting a job right now, equipped with all the skills I need for the world of work. But I’m not sure I have them. That’s why programmes like LifeSkills are so essential for young people like me, to help us gain these important workplace skills which we might not get taught in school or elsewhere.”
Ciara Brodie, 19, Liverpool
Work experience opportunitiesAs young people work through content on the LifeSkills website, they can collect points. Once they reach 250, those aged 14-19 can get their teacher to search on the website for work experience opportunities at Barclays and other partner organisations which they can apply for.
8 | About LifeSkills
barclayslifeskills.com
LifeSkills includes a suite of virtual tools, developed to give every young person insight into the workplace, unlimited interview practice opportunities, and information they need to help them prepare and succeed at the range of different assessments used in job recruitment.
Our ‘Virtual interview practice’ tool helps young people practise and prepare for real-life interviews. Watch a selection of common interview questions and then watch model answers for inspiration. Young people can also use a webcam to record and playback personal responses. Our other interactive interview tools include practice online assessment tests, getting to know different types of interview and finding out what to expect during an assessment centre day.
Our ‘Virtual work experience’ tool lets young people take a virtual journey into the world of work, moving through different departments of a real-life organisation. They’ll practise the real-world application of skills like communication and proactivity and how these are used in the 21st century workplace.
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Rewarding dedication to employability The LifeSkills Award has been created to celebrate secondary schools and FE colleges who are using the LifeSkills programme across their institution to deliver employability teaching and prepare young people for the world of work. Open to all secondary schools and FE colleges across the UK, educators can nominate their institution by visiting barclayslifeskills.com/teachers/support/lifeskills-award and confirming they meet the criteria and completing a brief personal statement.
Successful institutions will get a certificate to demonstrate their dedication to employability to regulators, parents and the local community.
LifeSkills Champions LifeSkills Champions is a unique opportunity for 14-19 year olds to build valuable employability skills, help others and work towards a digital badge to showcase in personal statements, in CVs and on social media platforms to impress potential employers.
How it works
Educators invite young people to enrol online, giving them access to a toolkit packed full of inspiring videos, session plans and teaching tips, to support them on their journey to becoming a Champion. By leading LifeSkills sessions with other young people and completing relevant activities, they’ll earn their exclusive LifeSkills Champions digital badge.
Recognised for promoting employability
AWARD
Champion
10 | About LifeSkills
barclayslifeskills.com
LifeSkills for educators
To help make your life easier, LifeSkills provides a range of free teaching resources, including lesson plans, interactive content, instructional guides and videos which will help you bring employability teaching to life and support your young people in building the skills they’ll need for work.
Check out our visual guide for everything LifeSkills has to offer.
We know that your time is precious. Trying to embed employability teaching into an already packed timetable can sometimes be a challenge, compounded by changes to assessment frameworks and curriculums.
About LifeSkills | 11
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“LifeSkills means making sure our students are ready to face the world outside the school doors, with the skills they need to be successful in the workplace.”
Simon BeckAssistant Headteacher, Lister Community School
educators would be happy to use LifeSkills
resources again
100%
educators would recommend LifeSkills resources to others
99%
63 hours of curriculum-led resources
Source: Teachers surveyed October 2016, Education Employers Research
12 | About LifeSkills
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On the LifeSkills website, educators will find a dedicated support hub to help them use the programme and stay ahead of developments in the fast changing tech landscape.
Get the most out of LifeSkills Get to grips with all that the programme has to offer and how to use it to support your students with our introductory film, useful toolkits and visual guide (see page 10).
Organise work experience for your students Search for valuable work experience and arrange placements with businesses near you.
21st century skills Find out more about the 21st century skills young people need to be better prepared for the future workplace.
Order and download resources Order a selection of printed resources for free and access all materials in alternative formats including large print, braille, subtitled videos and audio for those young people with additional needs.
About LifeSkills | 13
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“We need to give young people the chance to take control of their future and help them succeed in the world of work.”George Mpanga, AKA George the PoetLifeSkills Ambassador and Chair of the LifeSkills Youth Advisory Council
Get involved Go to barclayslifeskills.com/business today to discover how businesses can offer work experience placements to find promising future employees, develop tomorrow’s workforce and raise their company profile.
14 | About LifeSkills
LifeSkills for business
It’s a challenging job market, both for young people and businesses, with many UK businesses believing they have limited access to confident young people with vital basic work skills, such as communication and teamwork*.
Not only does LifeSkills seek to improve young people’s soft skills to ready them for the workplace, it offers young people an insight into the world of work. In fact, LifeSkills has so far offered over 30,000 work experience placements within Barclays and other UK organisations.
barclayslifeskills.com
*Source: BCC Workforce Survey, 2014
“I believe it is our role as business leaders, parents and educators to find creative ways to ensure young people are given the opportunities they need to succeed in their futures.”
Baroness Karren Brady CBELifeSkills Ambassador and Chair of the LifeSkills Advisory Council
About LifeSkills | 15
LifeSkills for parents
We speak with so many parents who are keen to support their young person to succeed in the 21st century workplace, but some are unsure where to start. Our dedicated parents’ section has free tools, tips and advice to help parents build young people’s confidence and unlock their potential.
barclayslifeskills.com
Get interactive Try our interactive challenges together with young people, like the ‘Wheel of strengths’ which matches strengths, interests and personality to relevant jobs, and ‘Money talks’ which makes sense of tricky financial terms. Our interactive ‘CV builder’ is also great to work through together.
Bring digital skills up to speed Technology is changing the workplace as well as the way we use money, and it’s important to equip young people with the skills they need to protect their personal and financial information. Use LifeSkills to get them digitally savvy.
Set them on the path to work Starting to think about their path to work now can make things easier in the future. From building a killer CV, presenting their best self online, to interview practice, you’ll find all the advice you need here.
Get involved We’re always looking out for fresh opportunities for young people, and parents can offer work experience placements within their own businesses. Head to the parents’ zone to find out how: barclayslifeskills.com/parents
© Barclays 2018
For more information or to tell us how you’ve used LifeSkills:Visit barclayslifeskills.com Email [email protected] facebook.com/YourLifeSkills youtube.com/YourLifeSkills @YourLifeSkills #yourlifeskills @LifeSkills_Ed
Barclays Bank UK PLC. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No. 759676). Registered in England. Registered no. 9740322 Registered Office: 1Churchill Place, London E14 5HP.
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