Scaleup programmes

Back to programmes

Programme

LifeSkills, created with Barclays [Annual Review 2020]

Talent and Skills

Impact for scaleups

13m+

Young people helped to prepare for the workplace since 2013

90%

Secondary schools have registered

86%

Universities registered

78%

Further education colleges registered

87%

Participants felt more confident about the future

83%

Participants felt better prepared to make future career decisions

Key sectors

Impact ventures / Social Impact Life Sciences & Biotech Building & Construction Manufacturing / Advanced Manufacturing Creative, digital, film, games & media Professional services Defence & security Technology & Communications Engineering / Advanced Engineering Transport & Logistics Environmental Science & Technology Farming, fisheries & forestry Finance Food & drink Healthcare

More than 13 million young people have received help to prepare for the workplace by LifeSkills. The programme, first launched in 2013, continues to see increased participation. Over 90% of UK secondary schools, 78% of UK further education colleges, and 86% of universities have now registered for the programme.

The programme brings together educators, businesses, young people and their parents, providing interactive tools for young people to learn in their own time or with their parents through a dedicated parents and families section.

The content is designed to provide young people with skills, knowledge and confidence. Users can access financial education, tips on employability skills, as well as core transferable skills such as solving problems and being creative, proactive and enterprising. LifeSkills includes a virtual work experience tool to allow young people to experience a day in the life of a business and offers them a CV builder to help them stand out when applying for jobs as well as online practice assessment tests.

In addition, specific content has been designed to support young people leaving care as well as those with Special Educational Needs.

The programme is regularly evaluated for its impact. The 2019 evaluation found: 85% of participants felt more motivated to do better in academic and vocational studies, 82% felt they now had higher ambitions and aspirations and 83% felt better prepared to make future career decisions. More than eight out of ten said they now knew how to tackle problems more effectively and 87% felt more confident about the future.

LifeSkills, created with Barclays [Annual Review 2020] website