Prosperity

• Tackling inequality of opportunity through education for young people with a socio-economic disadvantage
• Use of our knowledge and skills for social projects

At KPMG, we take our social responsibility seriously.

We believe it is important that everyone has prospects on work and income. Certain groups in society, however, are struggling in this area. We focus mainly on supporting people who are distanced from a good education or the labor market, as this is where we can make the most meaningful impact with our knowledge, expertise and network.

Across the KPMG organization, we are empowering our people to help combat the inequality of opportunity. Our international 10by30 program aims to have economically empowered 10 million disadvantaged youth by 2030; with this program, we have already reached one million youth in the first two years. Through our partnership with UNESCO, we have been able to implement programs worldwide that promote education, employment and entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities.

In the Netherlands we are working hard on this as well. We focus mainly on creating equal opportunities by giving young people access to education and lifelong learning; on programs and initiatives where, as already mentioned, we can make the most meaningful impact with our knowledge, expertise and network.

We believe that investing in education is the best way to permanently strengthen the economy and society. In selecting the social projects we support, ‘lifelong learning’ is central. In doing so, we follow the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, in particular 'Quality Education'.

Many of our people are involved with educational projects on a voluntary basis, such as through our partnership with the Refugee Talent Hub or through JINC. We also support a number of foundations annually with pro-bono advice to help them achieve their strategic and operational goals and make even more of an impact.

Employees are also given the opportunity to propose a charity they are passionate about for a pro-bono assignment or volunteer activity. Many colleagues also combine a team outing with a form of volunteer activity. We are proud of our people's contribution to these community projects.

KPMG MBO Talent Booster – founded years ago as the KPMG Jan Hommen Scholarship – is aimed at talented MBO students who could really use a helping hand. We support these students for up to four years with a scholarship worth €2,500 per year. Selection is based on a personal application letter, recommendation, a talent development day and an empowerment camp where dozens of students are being motivated and trained to develop their talents to the fullest.

Read more about the MBO Talent Booster.

To find a job as a refugee is not easy. With the Refugee Talent Hub, we are working together to bridge the gap between Dutch employers and refugees who want to get a job. We do this through the Refugee Finance Academy and the Refugee Coding Academy.

The Refugee Finance Academy is a training program with several partners from the financial sector, aimed at financial talents who came to the Netherlands as refugees. Within a period of five months, we help these talents to take their first steps in the Dutch labor market. During this training program, participants not only learn new financial skills and how the financial sector in the Netherlands works, but also skills such as conducting job interviews and preparing a resume. In addition, they are offered a mentoring program where each participant is paired with a professional from one of the participating organizations.

We also host the Refugee Coding Academy, which provides coding training to candidates from refugee backgrounds. In addition to offering coding training in Python and SQL, the program also offers in-home days where participants receive advice on applying for jobs and can get further acquainted with KPMG.

Read more about the Refugee Talent Hub.

Every child is talented in one way or another. This also applies to the hundreds of thousands of Dutch children who grow up in an environment where few opportunities are offered. We partner with JINC, an organization that strives for a society where background does not determine the child's future. Through the JINC program, children are introduced to the various disciplines we have to offer at KPMG, to discover what work suits them, and learn digital and interview skills.

Read more about JINC (Dutch only).

MOVE matches students with children who have fewer opportunities because of their socio-economic background. By doing so, MOVE reduces the gap between groups from different social and cultural backgrounds. Through various projects, these young people discover their talents and the valuable position they can have in society.

KPMG collaborates with MOVE in the project ‘What's next?’. Young people at VMBO level have to make a choice for their further (MBO) education at a young age. It turns out that a large proportion of young people switch or stop studying after the first year of their MBO education, which can lead to financial debts and loss of motivation. In this project, our employees volunteer their time to help students discover their talents and make an informed study choice.

KPMG and the International Theater Amsterdam (ITA) are working together in the ‘Talent Partnership’, a program that focuses on the personal development of talent. ITA, with the support of KPMG, is also committed to educating schoolchildren so that they can develop into the creative and innovative thinkers of the future. For example, the video series ‘Theater in Context’ encourages classroom conversations on topics such as leadership, gender and sexual identity.