Pilotlight Partnership with RBS
How Graduates can offer Innovative Thinking to Charity Challenges.
Subcategory: Recruitment, Talent & Leadership
Overview
Pilotlight acts as a broker between corporates and charitable organisations matching the skill-sets of individual executives with the commercial needs of a charity. In 2011 RBS and Pilotlight developed a yearly CSR initiative, the first of its kind, specifically targeted at the graduate population. Working in teams, graduates volunteer their time to provide strategic business solutions to a specific issue faced by a charity.
The objective of the initiative is to combine the RBS community volunteering programme with an opportunity for graduates to develop key skills: teamwork, communication, project management and commercial awareness
Impact
The collaboration has proved incredibly valuable for the graduates’ development. They gain experience: forming and being an effective part of a team; testing skills on projects with clear goals and timelines; showcasing skills in adaptability and resourcefulness; and developing communication and negotiating skills.
Graduates are also given access to media, marketing, project management and presentation training to complement their project and develop their skills.
They benefit greatly from seeing the impact of their work, feeling great satisfaction in using their talents to help small charities develop.
Innovation
Three years ago, Pilotlight launched a partnership with RBS Markets and International Banking to develop a graduate programme to add value to the Pilotlight process by leveraging the talent of future business leaders. The programme offers a new model with young graduate teams who can offer time, focus and innovative thinking to charity challenges.
Small charities with limited resources apply to Pilotlight for strategic help.
Graduates are then placed in teams and after six months, each team will present a strategic and sustainable solution to a panel of senior RBS executives (including the CEO), Pilotlight, and charity partners.[/one_half_last]
Insight
The project was developed in order to introduce ethical, responsible and sustainable thinking at the start of graduates’ careers, at the same time leveraging the skills and talent of future business leaders to benefit the local community – specifically supporting charities by addressing their challenges and commercial needs.
In addition, it contributes to the engagement and development of RBS graduates, by growing their skills, enhancing their understanding corporate responsibility and embedding this culture at the start of their professional journey.
Teams made up of 70 graduates are helping a further seven charities develop sustainable solutions to major problems faced.
Inspiration
Head of Debt Capital Markets and Corporate Risk Solutions and Executive Sponsor of Markets community programme, Richard Bartlett said: “What really came across to me is the value that our graduates were able to bring to their projects. By using their experience and intellect they absolutely transformed the prospects of a number of charities they worked with.”
The winning team last year was Reading Quest with ‘Numbugs’ – an educational app for children – their solution to provide a sustainable income stream for the charity.[/one_half_last]