The BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation and Realise for the jobs of tomorrow

On Monday 14 October, the BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation and réalise signed a three-year partnership agreement jointly founding “OPPORTUNITY, Training today for tomorrow’s job”. Thanks to this programme, an innovative training model that has already proved a success in Geneva will be rolled out across Switzerland.

Together, réalise and the BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation embody the values of commitment and support for a transition towards a more sustainable, connected and shared growth.

The OPPORTUNITY programme has been jointly set up by the two partners with the aim of introducing the adult education model created by realise with the wish to spread it up to five swiss cantons. It focuses on the most promising economic sectors for present and future employment.

The OPPORTUNITY programme has three main strands:

Understanding the key sectors of the future economy (which will be sustainable and connected)
Identifying employment opportunities related to these growth sectors
Creating hands-on training courses that are accessible to all, including those who currently lack the skills expected by the market

“OPPORTUNITY, Training today for tomorrow’s job” thereby promotes equal opportunities in the shift towards a sustainable, digital and inclusive economy. The programme is the result of the genuinely collaborative approach adopted by its two partners, réalise and the BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation, and will be developed over a three-year period with the possibility of renewal.

réalise is well-known in Geneva for its work in the field of professional integration for those on the margins of the labour market. Over more than 30 years, réalise has developed a pioneering, pragmatic and effective adult education and return-to-work model. This model is based on the principles of workplace learning, a unique skill identification process, and continuous adaptation to labour market changes.

Created in 2002, the BNP Paribas Swiss Foundation’s mission is to foster cultural, social and environmental dialogue between the banking world and its local environment. Its aims include promoting education and social inclusion.

The first phase in the OPPORTUNITY programme, which is already underway, consists in rolling out the digital training initiative launched by réalise in Geneva in 2018 across Switzerland. This will be done with the help of Simplon – a social enterprise with strong links to the BNP Paribas Group. Simplon’s aim is to offer free in-person training with certification in digital technical professions to individuals who have “dropped out” of the labour market.