Innovate Finance, an advocacy group for the UK Fintech industry has launched the “FinTech for Schools Initiative,” seeking to inspire the next generation of Fintech leaders innovators
FinTech for Schools is said to be an “important piece of Innovate Finance’s Skills and Talent work.” It supports the group’s strategic goal of fostering a “domestic pipeline of talent” during a challenging time politically as Brexit nears.
A recent research report suggests the UK Fintech workforce is set to double to 3,300 firms by 2030.
As part of the launch, Innovate Finance and a selection of its 200 Fintech members, will be hosting a school event to introduce students to financial services and technology.
Innovate Finance states that it has been shown that by the age of 10, children already have a strong sense of identity of what they can and can’t do. Inspiring young children from an early age is a “vital first step in creating a new model to deliver real change in terms of diversity.”
Fintech continues to grow rapidly in the UK and firms need to employees to fill their demands. Innovate Finance seeks to appeal to a diverse workforce to fill the many opportunities in the Fintech industry.
Featured speakers at the school event include City of London Corporation’s Alderman William Russell, Innovate Finance’s CEO Charlotte Crosswell and two representatives from Innovate Finance member firms: Oval Money CEO and Co-Founder Benedetta Arese Lucini and Jonathan Naismith, Business Development Manager at Exate Technology.
“Fintech is one of the UK’s fastest growing industries and one where we hold a strong competitive advantage. Success is however heavily dependent on talent, which is in short supply both domestically and globally,” stated Crosswell. “It is vital that we ensure we are inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators, and equipping them with the skills they will need to succeed. We are committed to working with schools, universities and our larger financial institutions on their schools engagement programmes to ensure a bright future for all.”
