5 Million Futures: our new societal impact goal

The world has changed a lot since 2016 and with the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic being felt globally, the challenges facing society have never been greater. One of the central effects has been to the economy, resulting in rising levels of unemployment. If we are to tackle this challenge, business has a critical role to play whilst continuing to deliver a positive impact in our local communities.

One way for us to make an impact that matters is to help people to develop skills, preparing them for a world of opportunity. 5 Million Futures is our North and South Europe goal to help five million people overcome barriers to education and employment by 2030 - empowering individuals with the skills they need to succeed.  Watch as Dimple Agarwal, Managing Partner for People & Purpose Deloitte North and South Europe, introduces our new social impact goal.

Putting people first

With purpose at the heart of our social impact strategy, it’s about much more than a number. It’s about people. Dimple Agarwal tells us “our firm is built on the skills of our people so it’s natural that we should help develop the skills of others. We want to help people overcome the barriers they face and reach their potential.

We all have a role to play. I’ve recently become a reverse mentor to a youth offender. We’re just at the start of this mentoring relationship but I’m looking forward to finding out more about my mentee and how I can help him get to where he wants to be.” 

By focusing on skills, education and inclusion, our commitment is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the global blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. 5MF is Deloitte NSE’s contribution to our global WorldClass goal to empower 50 million people by 2030.

Connecting for impact

We’re not doing this alone, Deloitte is working with a network of amazing organisations including 26 schools, 23 charities, 8 social enterprises and a number of third sector strategic partners.

We are supporting our partner organisations to have a greater impact in their local communities by providing the time and expertise of our people through volunteering, delivering Deloitte services pro bono and through fundraising.

Vidhu Sood-Nicholls, Director of Fundraising at Teach First - Deloitte UK’s national education partner, recently talked to us about the important role businesses have to play in connecting with third sector organisations for greater social impact. She says Teach First’s relationship with Deloitte ‘touches on every realm we could hope for’ and looks forward to continuing the partnership, an example of effective synergy between business and education, through 5 Million Futures.

In light of additional challenges faced by society due to COVID-19, these partnerships support organisations like Teach First, bolstering their impact and ability to make a meaningful difference in the communities in which they work.

Alice Williams, CEO of social enterprise Luminary Bakery explains that the partnership has ‘gone above and beyond to create opportunities for Luminary to grow.’

We are also working closely with our supply chains to deliver greater social value for our spend, and we are continuing to provide job opportunities through our Apprenticeship and Return to Work programmes.

Building on the legacy

The success of Deloitte UK’s One Million Futures programme encouraged great enthusiasm and participation at all levels of the business – from ongoing volunteer activities to transformative pro bono projects. Nearly 17,000 volunteers supported One Million Futures with 121,925 hours of their time!

We are excited to see the positive impact our people will make using their energy and passion to support 5 Million Futures and to share these inspiring stories with you. We’re not slowing down.

Follow 5 Million Futures @DeloitteUK_5M on Twitter to keep up-to-date with the latest news and stories.