Employee Volunteering

In addition to donating funds to charities, we also encourage employee volunteering, and in particular skills-related volunteering.

In the Americas, Barclays Capital professionals leverage their time, talents and resources to make contributions to the community in meaningful ways. In 2010, over 2500 employees participated in volunteer activities. Opportunities to make a difference include teaching disadvantaged children about financial literacy, participating in mentoring programs to prepare at-risk high school students for college, conducting mock interviews for economically disadvantaged adults, revitalizing local parks and schools, and serving food in local pantries and shelters.

In Asia Pacific, charity and volunteer working groups have been set up in our Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Tokyo offices. Teams of employees regularly take part in volunteering projects. Following the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011, volunteers have been spending their weekends working in Otsuchi-cho in Iwate to clean photographs that have been found in the debris and clearing houses, roads and drains of mud and debris

In the UK, our employees have been extending their skills beyond the workplace to help local community projects. Over 70 employees spend time on a weekly basis helping local primary school children with their literacy and numeracy skills. Young people on the Career Academy programme are hosted for a 6-week summer internship and the firm holds regular workshops to help local students improve their employability skills. Colleagues mentor both final year school students to help them prepare for university or work, and younger students who need personal support and guidance.