Aspiring talent welcomed to RBS

City Talent Initiative

The City Talent Initiative is an exciting new programme to support high-achieving young people from low-income backgrounds gain entry to leading City firms.

It has long been recognised that too many talented young people are prevented from fulfilling their potential because they lack access to a vast range of career opportunities, particularly high flying jobs in the City. Without the right connections through friends and family, many of the best and brightest from British society miss out on opportunities that their wealthier, most often privately educated, peers enjoy.

The programme was initiated following a discussion about access to opportunity with Labour MP, Rt Hon David Lammy. Determined to demonstrate that the City is not the privileged closed shop it is too often perceived to be Markets and International Banking, EY and J. P. Morgan have come together with the Social Mobility Foundation to create the City Talent Initiative (CTI).

High-achievers

The CTI programme targets high-achieving Year 12 students (aged 16 - 17) from low-income backgrounds who attend schools in London. On joining the programme, students are matched with a RBS mentor who will help them prepare for their internship and guide them through their university choices and application.

During the summer internship, the students will gain a real-insight into the professional world. Through business placements, attending meetings, and participating in personal development workshops designed to build core competencies, the students will receive a fully integrated programme to help guide their decisions as they make further study and career choices.

After this first year, the students will continue to be supported by RBS and the Social Mobility Foundation, being invited back for more skill sessions and longer, paid internships every year whilst they’re at university, all with the aim to prepare them for getting a top graduate role.

Support for the City Talent Initiative is a collaboration between Markets and International Banking Community Investment, Inclusion and Graduate Recruitment working together with RBS Early Careers.