Our journey towards sustainability

Our communities 51
Developing the leaders of tomorrow, today
Youth unemployment is a key
social issue of our time
At EY, through our people’s time and skills, we invest in the education of
tomorrow’s workforce to help young people develop the skills and characteristics
that enable the businesses and societies of the future to thrive.
Through skills-based volunteering, our people
are helping young students gain access to
higher education and work experience and
build their own businesses through leadership
skills training, tutoring and mentoring
programs. This is the first step. The second
step is our commitment to developing future
leaders, which extends to supporting
employment for young people by providing
high-quality jobs and work experience
opportunities. That’s why we collaborate with
schools across our markets to help improve
young people’s skills, confidence and outlook.
We have collaborated with the International
School of Luxembourg (ISL) since 2010
to provide financial sponsorship for their
computer platform. Through our employee-led
workshops and presentations, we’ve worked
with 300 students to broaden their horizons
and provide them with first-hand insights into
business life. Our people have also lectured at
the University of Luxembourg and the Institut
des Réviseurs d’Enterprises, as well as trained
students for the Luxembourg Taxation
Diploma at the Chambre de Salariés, offering
285 hours of support to our leaders of
tomorrow.
EY Foundation’s Smart Futures programme
works with talented Year 12/Fifth Year
students who are disadvantaged in the
labor market. EY Foundation provides them
with work experience, skills workshops and
one-to-one mentor relationships to help them
make the successful transition into further
education, employment and enterprise.
So far we have supported 309 young people.
In Germany, our people collaborate with
schools through the EY@school program in
supporting the leaders of tomorrow. Our
people deliver lessons on the business world,
the economy and ethics to provide young
people with insights into professional services.
The program also offers mentoring support for
primary schools in disadvantaged areas and
the one-to-one academic support young
students may have lacked in the beginning of
their education.
By developing the leaders of today and
tomorrow, our impact stretches beyond
individuals, unlocking the potential of
the next generation of workers.
As soon as I heard about the Smart Futures program, I signed
myself up. I had the opportunity to go to schools around Edinburgh
and talk to students from underprivileged backgrounds, and make
them aware that EY was offering a program that would help them
achieve their goals and aspirations. I also helped out with some of
the sessions that were held at the Edinburgh office and got to
interact more closely with the Smart Futures students.
Zulfiqar Khan
Tax Advisor, EY UK
Appendices Our communities Our people Our clients Introduction