WORLD YOUTH SKILLS DAY: HOW WE’RE NURTURING SKILLS FOR A SHARED FUTURE WITH TEACH FIRST
2026-07-15 10:48:48.0
World Youth Skills Day is celebrated every year and is a day that marks the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for their future.
The yearly celebration also provides an opportunity for dialogue between young people, the private sector, policymakers and development partners on the role of skills in creating sustainable and inclusive societies.
Supporting our local communities is an important part of who we are and how we give back. For almost four years, we’ve volunteered our time, through a BNP Paribas UK partnership with an education charity to deliver sessions to young people in local schools with a focus on finance and sustainability, equipping them with the skills that they need to build a better future.
Driving change through education
In 2022, BNP Paribas began a partnership with Teach First and Gemserv, now Talan, to launch the BNP Paribas “Leaders for a Changing World” programme, with the aim of closing the attainment gap and educate young people on the road to net zero. This partnership involved colleagues from across the business volunteering their time to deliver a series of four sustainability lessons in secondary schools across the West Midlands.
These efforts contribute towards BNP Paribas’ global 1MillionHours2Help programme, an initiative encouraging colleagues around the world to make a positive impact and support local communities through volunteering.
In 2025 the programme was extended into primary schools to introduce sustainability themes such as ‘needs vs wants’ and the everyday impact we all have on the environment.
With a focus on sustainable finance, we now run two sessions tailored to primary and secondary school students on a regular basis. Engaging with young people is a chance to nurture the skills needed in the workforce of tomorrow, making a positive impact for the years to come.
So far, the “Leaders for a Changing World” programme has already reached more than 25,000 pupils, with teachers downloading over 4,000 lesson packs for use beyond our colleagues’ sessions between 2022 and 2024.
James Toop, CEO at Teach First, said: “At Teach First, we are proud of the achievements our partnership with BNP Paribas has made over the past three years through Leaders for a Changing World. The partnership inspires professionals to start teaching and pupils to consider careers in finance. Additionally, BNP Paribas volunteers have provided vital coaching to our trainee teachers and led sustainability sessions in schools, helping to integrate these important themes into primary and secondary education. Thanks to BNP Paribas' commitment and the efforts of their wonderful volunteers, pupils who need it most are taking the next steep toward reaching their full potential. We are thankful for this partnership and look forward to what more we can achieve together in the years ahead.”
Making a difference across the business
Tanya Gamble, Operations Training and Academy Manager at BNP Paribas Personal Finance UK, reflected on her experience facilitating the programme: “I’m really proud of the partnership that we have with Teach First; it means so much to me to be able to give back to local schools and the local community.
“Recently a child shared that after the session we delivered, that they would go home and encourage their parents to start recycling more. To me, that is what the programme is about and the knock-on effect that one session can have on society is inspiring.
“More so than this, the teams involved in delivering the programme report that they feel more confident, better equipped to communicate, and a greater sense of purpose through their engagement with young people. This initiative benefits all who are involved, and we’re excited to see how it continues to develop.”
Courtney Oseman, Training Team Manager at BNP Paribas Personal Finance, recently delivered a session to sixth formers at Alderbrook School, a school local to our Solihull HQ. Courtney reflected on delivering the session: “I love the time I spend at local schools through our partnership with Teach First. From primary school aged children to sixth formers, our sessions are tailored to their curriculum and the impact that we have on local young people is clear. It’s inspiring to be involved with delivering this programme and I look forward to the next session that I do.”
World Youth Skills Day is a great opportunity to recognise the difference that colleagues can make in young people’s lives. As we continue supporting BNP Paribas’ 1MillionHours2Help initiative and our partnership with Teach First, we’re looking forward to providing more students with the skills they need to contribute to a cleaner and greener future.
Interested in joining a company where giving back is central to the work we do? Click here to discover more about our career opportunities: Careers at BNP Paribas Personal Finance | Thinking about joining us?