BARCLAYS Bank has entered into a £1,5 million (about US$2,3 million) three year partnership with Junior Achievement (JA) worldwide as one of the ways to tackle the issue of youth unemployment.

The programme is meant to promote entrepreneurship among youths who are out of employment.
The percentage of youths living in poverty is extremely high. In some countries about 90% live on less than US$2 a day according to a 2008 World Bank study.

Finding productive employment for Africa’s 200 million young adults is one of the greatest challenges facing the continent today.
JA is a renowned charitable organisation working in partnership with business communities, educators and volunteers to inspire young people to dream big and achieve their potential.

As part of its efforts, youths from various schools in Harare, through Barclays Bank, experienced “job shadowing” last week where they spent the day “in the shoes” of the top managerial staff at the  bank.

Barclays Bank managing director, George Guvamatanga said, “We are building the future of the students as a company.”
Mona-Lisa Dube an upper sixth student at Queen Elizabeth High School got a chance to shadow Guvamatunga as the MD.
“The experience I had shadowing the MD was very interesting and at the same time it was very inspiring,” Dube said.
“I lived the day as the MD.

“It certainly has shown me that we can achieve what we want by working hard as one cannot just wake up and become the MD of a large bank without working for it.”

Barclays Bank has been working with JA in Africa for many years teaching children hands-on experimental programmes, key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and providing financial literacy to young people all over the world.

Children in the rural areas will not be left out as the bank is developing innovative computer-based technology to reach rural areas.
 “As Barclays we are doing this because we know how important it is for the children and it is also important for us to be talking to our future customers and the future workers of Barclays,” Guvamatanga said.

The bank will work with over 8 000 students worldwide as part of its global “banking on brighter futures” theme focusing on education and entrepreneurship.

The world youth report in 2007 indicated that the International Labour Organisation estimates that around 88 million young men and women throughout the world were unemployed accounting for 47 % of the 186 million unemployed globally.

Schools which participated in the JA programme were Highfield High1, Harare High, Prince Edward, Gateway, Harare Girls High, Mabelreign Girls High and Queen Elizabeth.

BY PERPETUA CHIKOLOLERE

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