Capita buys stake in social talent platform WithYouWithMe
Professional services firm Capita has continued to reorient its offering with the purchase of a stake in a social impact firm working with UK military veterans. Capita has acquired equity within WithYouWithMe, in a bid to help veterans fill the country’s digital skills gap.
Founded in 2015, WithYouWithMe is a social enterprise headquarters in New South Wales, Australia. The firm works across borders, to help partners address skill gaps around the world – collaborating with government agencies and businesses such as EY, BAE Systems and Atos to help 20,000 people gain employment. While its initial remit was to do this with military veterans – two of its three founders being veterans – those it has helped find work also include refugees and neurodivergent individuals.
Eschewing more traditional recruitment practices such a reviewing CVs of job applicants, WithYouWithMe – through its “Potential platform” – provides aptitude and psychometric testing to match candidates to a range of high-demand digital roles. The firm then provides free training pathways – accredited through the likes of GCHQ and ANSI – to give candidates the optimum chance of success when placed with large employers.
As the UK grapples with its own digital skill gap, WithYouWithMe has expanded into Britain. Its team of UK advisers include former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Sir James Everard, and Lieutenant General Sir Nicholas Pope, the British Army’s former Chief of Staff.
As it looks to push ahead with this growth, WithYouWithMe has received a new investment from Capita. The consulting and IT firm has joined forces with WithYouWithMe by taking an equity stake through Capita Scaling Partner, its start-up development arm. Capita Scaling Partner’s unique model involves providing business development services through the placement of two-to-three full-time employees in a business – in this case, WithYouWithMe – in exchange for equity.
Tom Moore, CEO of WithYouWithMe and military veteran, said, “We know there is a huge demand for digital skills, which are lying dormant in underrepresented areas of society, who may not get meaningful employment based on their CV alone. Through our partnership with Capita we will help exceptional people access the labour market and enable employers to build a workforce that meets their current and future needs.”
Capita’s partnership with WithYouWithMe also sees the firm help launch the 15,000 Futures project, which aims to create skilled job opportunities for military veterans in the technology sector. The name 15,000 Futures reflects the number of UK military (and their partners) who return to civilian life each year – works with major UK employers to encourage them to commit to fulfilling five per cent of available digital roles with reskilled veterans.
Jon Lewis, Chief Executive Officer at Capita, added, “WithYouWithMe is fostering new pools of talent from diverse and underemployed communities, particularly military veterans, and in doing so creating significant social value. This fits perfectly with our ethos at Capita. We are proud to be a founding member of the 15,000 Future campaign and look forward to working with other leading businesses to make it a success.”
