Generation in Europe

A snapshot of our work in 2021

by Minh Huy Lai, Europe Chief Operating Officer @Generation

It feels like it was only yesterday that a pandemic upended our life as we know it, and two years later the world is confronted with yet another variant of the COVID-19 virus. However, in spite of the continued sense of uncertainty, which has affected all of us in some shape or form, people have learned to adapt to this ‘new normal’, and so have we at Generation. As we take a step back and take stock of what we have achieved in 2021, we are convinced that our work to break down barriers to meaningful employment is more important than ever. The following impact metrics and highlights from last year stand testament to the resilience and grit of our learners, staff members, partners, and funders in Europe and beyond.

Impact in Europe in 2021

Generation Europe operates in 5 countries (France, Spain, Italy, UK and Ireland), offers bootcamps in 51 cities, and works closely with over 2,500 employers. In 2021 alone, we’ve trained, mentored, and placed into jobs over 3,400 learners, across 20 professions in 4 key sectors (tech, healthcare, customer service, and skilled trades). 44% of our graduates are female, 87% are below 30 years old, 63% have only vocational technical training, and the majority are from underserved communities (e.g., single mothers, ethnic minorities, school drop-outs), who face significant systemic barriers to finding meaningful work. Their climb to employment has historically been challenging, but now, with the global pandemic devastating entire sectors and livelihoods for millions of people, it has steepened dramatically. However, against all odds, 80% of our graduates found a job 6 months after the bootcamps and they earn on average 1,8x more than before joining Generation. 68% are still employed 12 months after graduation.

Global Alumni Survey Highlights

In order to better understand our impact on alumni 2-5 years after graduation, in 2021 we conducted our second annual Global Alumni Survey. As part of our research, we surveyed alumni from 11 countries including 4 in Europe (UK, France, Spain, Italy), and looked at 4 dimensions to assess our impact: demonstrable career growth, financial health, physical and mental well-being, community engagement.

Below are the key findings from our survey, 2-5 years after graduation, across the 4 dimensions:

  • Demonstrable career growth: 63% of our alumni globally are engaged in paid work;
  • Financial health: 68% of our alumni can meet their daily financial needs;
  • Physical and mental well-being: 76% of our employed alumni are satisfied with their jobs;
  • Community engagement: 89% of our alumni find the Generation community valuable.

Partner Organizations

Unemployment is too complex of an issue for any single organization to tackle alone, and so collaborating with partners from the public, private and non-profit sectors, has enabled us to embed our 7-step methodology within large-scale, existing systems to tackle COVID-19 jobs recovery and beyond.

We work with partners at every step of our 7-step methodology, from learners sourcing (e.g. Pôle emploi in France, Fundación ONCE in Spain) to curriculum development (e.g. Retrofit Academy in the UK, Salesforce in Italy), where their existing expertise and local networks complement our own. We have an active pool of 2,500+ employers across Europe that offer our graduates job placements. We’ve also established over 65 partnerships with public institutions (e.g. Escuela de Organización Industrial in Spain, Conferenza dei Rettori delle Università Italiane in Italy, the City of Paris in France, education and training boards in Ireland, and the Department for Education in the UK) to scale our programs nationally.

Looking Ahead to 2022

In 2022, we aim to increase our impact in Europe by:

  • Boosting placement rates up to 85% within 90 days of graduation;
  • Launching 10 new in-demand programs in high growth sectors;
  • Serving more underrepresented learners such as mid-career job seekers, people with disabilities;
  • Enhancing mentoring infrastructure and alumni support;
  • Experimenting with alternate forms of employment (e.g. internships, apprenticeships, etc.).

We are proud of the impact we had in Europe in 2021, and grateful to the learners, graduates, partners, and funders that have been a part of our story and offered us their unconditional trust and support. Looking ahead to 2022, we are energized by the many goals that we want to accomplish, yet we are also humbled by the magnitude of the work ahead of us, which is more important than ever. It takes courage to take on global unemployment, but together with our partners we believe we can rise to this challenge and fundamentally transform education to employment systems in Europe and around the world to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible.