Here is a high-level overview of how UpSkill's technology works: - Users upload their resume/CV or connect their LinkedIn profile to provide information on work history, education, skills and interests. - Natural language processing is used to extract relevant data from free-form text fields. - Skills are identified and standardized. Interests are inferred based on job titles, courses, hobbies etc. - This data is matched against an extensive database of job profiles detailing typical skill requirements, personality fits, career paths, salaries etc for different roles. - Machine learning algorithms calculate the similarity between a user's profile and each job to determine their suitability score. Factors like skill overlap, interest

1. UpSkillLife Long Learning

2. In a time of unprecedented change, with technological developments and shifts in societal
norms, ensuring your skill set does not become obsolete is vital.
With the average millennial set to have between 15-20 jobs in their lifetime the notion of a
single degree setting you up for a lifetime career is now outdated.
We believe education is a lifelong process. UpSkill.

3. Contents page
RESEARCH
TESTING
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
USER EXPERIENCE
MONETISATION
LAUNCH STRATEGY
HOW IT WORKS
SUMMARY
APPENDIX
4
13
16
19
28
34
38
40
45

4. Research

5. The student of yesterday
More than 40% of America’s baby
boomers stayed with their employer
for more than 20 years. But it’s
unlikely that their children or
grandchildren will experience the
same job tenure.
In the 1960s, only around 14% of
the population had university level
degrees. Today, more than 43%
hold undergraduate degrees
making it hard to stand out.
5

6. The Environment Has Changed
Workplace Evolution
Job industries have evolved dramatically due to emerging innovative technology over the past decade. Improved communicational technology has allowed for globalisation and has
enabled businesses to do work for customers all over the world. This has improved travel opportunities and created a greater need for cultural awareness. Additionally, this has led to
an increase in remote working, co-working spaces and teleconferencing which has seen a shift in work contracts towards remote and short term work. This improves access to flexible
work around educational steps but also has reduced long-term job security.
6
Job Sector Shift
The demand for different job types and skills are changing. While administrative, manufacturing and production roles are set to dramatically decrease, financial,
computing and mathematical based work opportunities are expected to increase. This shift is a result of technology such as AI, 3D printing and robotics, and a high
demand for automated production, affecting the way we currently make and manage products.
Business Evolution
Technology has decentralised the economy and shifted business models towards the enabling of access to resources and away from being ownership-based. For example,
Airbnb was a massive success taking on the traditional model of hotels being buildings owned by a select few, to a platform that lets anyone be a hotel owner.

7. Current Students
Do students think university is good value for money?
Do you feel confident about getting work experience
or or a full-time job after graduating?
Reduced Sense of Satisfaction
Universities are increasing fees while failing to adapt to changing industries and their new
demands. As a result, students are growing increasingly unsatisfied, with 58% feeling
university is not worthwhile. The primary function of a university is to be an educational
investment to improve a person's career prospects, but 50% of graduates are in non-
graduate jobs. Level 5 Apprenticeships earn £52,000 more than graduates from non-elite
universities. So there are other educational options to improve someone's career earnings.
It is appearing that university is becoming an increasingly poor investment of time and
money, this being especially true for non-elite universities as the returns simply do not
justify the decision. Alternative forms of education should be considered more often.
The Growth of Mature Students
The number of mature students, those above 21 and in education, is increasing. In the UK
1/3 students are mature this will rise to 1/2 by 2020. This means students of the future will
have a greater range of ages, more culturally diverse and tend to seek competency based
educations such as computer science or accounting.
This shift to older students should be reflected in the way the educational system operates,
prioritising access to knowledge/skills around a flexible schedule with different course
options.
7
Source: Save the Student, Student Money Survey 2016

8. Education of the Future
Using big data, students can evaluate their different education options
far more effectively for cost and benefits. This education can be
delivered across digital platforms, and recorded to create stackable
credentials allowing flexible life-long learning.
To summarise we need to increase the ROI of education in the UK while
accommodating for the growing quantity of mature students to help
create the education of the future where education is tailored to every
student.
Source: Reimagining Higher Education, Deloitte University Press
8
Future Trends

9. 9
65% 60% 15-20 3 years
not enough for
a lifelong career
+ + =
The student of tomorrow
of current graduates
will be working in
currently nonexistent
jobs
of employers think
that graduates do
not have employable
skills
is the average number
of jobs that a millennial
will have by the time
they retire

10. 10
Here is your career
Passions
Skills Earnings
There’s a theory that goes that your most suitable
career lies in somewhere between what you’re
good at, what you’re passionate about and what
you can get paid to do.
UpSkill aims to find that for you and cut the skill
gap as soon as possible.

11. Student*
The student of tomorrow is everyone. We are lifelong learners.
With all this in mind, we decided the term ‘student’ needs to be redefined:
11

12. How can we support students* in fulfilling their career
ambitions by enabling them to act upon worthwhile educational
investments?
Problem Statement
12

13. Testing
13

14. Take into account the degree of potential risks people are willing to take for their education.
People prefer to work somewhere they like rather than just for the money.
People like being informed on alternative education routes, and their potential ROI, but very
important not to mislead.
If we align the service to Barclays they are more likely to trust financial recommendations
but could also see the service as being motivated by money.
People want to know the reasons behind the industry trends.
Proactively suggest new skills to gain.
By giving case studies it seems more realistic.
Push notifications of current trends within ‘your’ industry was a popular feature.
Students liked the idea of having the opportunity to go to events through the platform to meet
industry experts.
By giving case studies it seems more realistic.
Push notifications of current trends within ‘your’ industry was a popular feature.
Students liked the idea of having the opportunity to go to events through the platform to meet
industry experts.
Concept Feedback
“UpSkill feels
applicable to any age
group”
“I would definitely use
this coming out of
university”
“If I was changing career this
would certainly capture my
attention”
14
Source: in-house user research interviews

15. The Process
Stating what skills they need and where to get them is our unique selling point.
Our task is to get them to the financing stage as quickly as possible.
Could you give me free education options to my career goal alongside the
ones that require a financial investment?
Are loans per course or universal per user?
Keep the process free, that maximises users, make the most money from
financing the education.
The Design
Prioritise the Skills the user needs to get for their job, in the layout.
Emphasise the overall return on investment of education rather than individual
characteristics e.g. certification of courses.
User Testing Feedback
“My career path can
be narrow casted”
“I started thinking about
jobs once I was about to
leave uni”
“Finding direction is
difficult”
15
Source: in-house user research

16. Competitor Analysis
16

17. None of the job websites tailor the jobs on show to the skill sets that
one has - they essentially all run the same, generic search engine.
There is a requirement for you to click on every job shown in order to
establish whether you have the necessary skills, e.g. coding in Java.
If you do not have the required skill set to enter into the job you’re after
then you will need to begin searching the web for educational institutes
or free courses in order to acquire the necessary skills. The process
should be more intuitive in showing one how to acquire skills to open
up more job opportunities.
Despite Monster showing further education routes, it fails to provide
any real depth of reasoning to undertake these courses and fails to
facilitate the inevitable application for loans. Doesn’t provide any
insight about industry direction, return on investment, and what skills
will be more applicable going towards the future.
Job Websites
17

18. Advice websites have several beneficial features such as:
• Insights into the general qualifications required to enter a certain field
• Gauging your interests to determine suitable jobs
• Providing average salary information of different fields
However, they are novel platforms that are used very rarely and do not
attempt to uncover what specific skills and knowledge one needs or
what skills you currently possess. This means that some of the jobs they
show maybe unrealistic for some to attain in a suitable amount of time.
The industry information provided is generally outdated and does not
show any future forecasts, such as the likelihood of a career being soon
obsolete.
Furthermore, they don’t offer suggestions on where to get the
qualifications they recommend and what sort of financial cost or benefit
if you undertake the course.
Advice Websites
18

19. User Experience
19

20. §
20
Students* onboard by uploading their
LinkedIn profiles or resumes. If they
have neither, then they can manually
input their info.
After that, they will undertake a
personality test and set their career
priorities (e.g travel a lot, work from
home, etc.)

21. After their profile has been set up,
UpSkill generates a list of career
prospects that are suitable to the
student’s* profile. This is based upon
their experience, skills and personality.
They can then scroll through the
options gauging which ones are most
interesting to them.
Some career metrics, such as average
salary and career satisfaction will be
highlighted to help the selection
process.
21
§

22. 22
When a career has been selected, the
student* can start working towards
accomplishing their career goals.
Skills and knowledge missing from
their current arsenal can be viewed
as well as an updated job suitability
percentage.
§

23. 23
When they select a new skill to learn, UpSkill
generates a list of relevant study pathways
rated according to a ‘UpSkill Score’. This is
our version of Return on Investment.
This takes into consideration cost, time and
accreditation level to offer students* the most
cost-effective pathway.
§

24. 24
After selecting the course they want, they
can then view more details about it.
Students* can then opt to pay using three
different methods. These are through a
loan, adding a credit card to cover other
expenses or they can opt to pay the
amount in full.
§

25. Share Profile
The dashboard is the homepage for
returning users.
On this screen, users can view the courses
they are currently undertaking and how
close they are to achieving their target.
An Alternate Pathways section allows them
to unlock new skills and careers suitable to
them.
In this case, it recommends an in-demand
job (highlighted with a star) based on the
user’s interest in biology.
If users decide to change their target career,
then the platform can highlight alternate
pathways, in this case, the new route from
Arduino, saving both time and effort.
25
§

26. §
Share Profile
Other buttons on the dashboard include:
Share Profile
This allows a student* to send a summary of
their educational history and resume to a
prospective employer.
View ROI
This is a visual representation of the savings
and financial benefit of the educational route
the user has chosen to take. In this case, it
shows the potential reward for undertaking a
new career route even though there might be
a natural, slight dip in salary initially.
View Journey
This button allows a user to view a detailed
history of their education to date -
highlighting milestones - similar to Facebook
memories.
26

27. Monetisation
27

28. 28
Monetisation
?
Affiliate Fees
Low Cost
The platform will take a commission of the
course fees for any students who
consequently signs up to an educational
institute through the platform. This will likely
be the only revenue stream for ‘low cost’
courses in the range of £100-£400.
However, this affiliate fee will be charged
across ‘low cost’, ‘medium cost’ and ‘high
cost’ courses.

29. 29
Monetisation
?
Affiliate Fees
Medium Cost
?
Credit Card
In regards to ‘medium cost’ courses, in the
region of £800-£3,500, students* may not
necessarily need to take a loan out.
However, as there is still a significant upfront
financial hit to take the platform would offer a
credit card. This would help support
students* with they living costs, something
that may well be extremely valuable for
mature students that need to support a family
alongside their education.

30. 30
Monetisation
?
LoansAffiliate Fees Credit Card
High Cost
£1,000 £90 £10,000£1090
£1050
For ‘high cost’ courses, in the region of
£8,000-£12,000, a loan will be offered to
the student. This loan will come at a
reduced risk to the bank on the basis the
student's ROI and predicted future
earnings will increase after this educational
investment.
Named Bank

31. 31
Monetisation
?
Current Accounts
High Cost
LoansCredit Card
£10,000 £1,100 £11,100
£10,800
As you can see the student will be offered two
different loans. One for the individual with no current
account with the given bank and the other for existing
current account holders with the given bank - the
latter of which will offer a reduced more favourable
interest rate. Through this mechanism, we hope to
increase the uptake of Barclays current accounts.
Despite this favourable interest rate reducing the
banks potential profit margin on the initial loan
offering, on the basis the students* will be investing in
further education and therefore have an increased
projected future earning it is a worthwhile upfront cost
for the bank.
Affiliate Fees
Named Bank

32. Overall Revenue*
6.4mil + 850,000 + 315,000 + 98,275 =
£7,663,275
(not including revenue from credit cards)
*Please see APPENDIX A for detailed breakdown
32

33. Launch Strategy
33

34. 34
Launch Strategy
Penultimate / Final Year
Students
“How They Got There”
Videos
Career Fortune Teller
For a little comic relief and to engage with
the target audience, we envisage a booth at
career fairs where a “fortune teller” would sit
with students and “predict” their future
careers.
This could have a fun outcome on social
media and could evolve into a simple online
execution to attract people to the site.
Towards the end of their degrees, many
students feel lost as they don’t know what
awaits them after graduation.
Targeting them allows us to add value to their
current education and capture them as they
become profitable.
48% of students stated that it was not until their
final year of university that they visited a job
website for the first time.
Market research highlighted students find the
back stories of successful individuals
fascinating and often inspiring.
The strategy would be to produce a series of
short videos showing how different people got
into their respective successful careers. This
would likely demonstrate their varying interests
and their aspirations at different points in their
life.

35. Land Grabbing
35
-£300
Y1 Y3Y2 Y4
Loan or Current Account
University
Capture
By capturing penultimate and final year
students and making it cheaper for the banks
clients on the platform, we aim to encourage
students to migrate to the named bank just as
they start to become profitable.
Named Bank

36. A Lifetime of Touch Points
36
Time
Earnings
However, this user journey continues far beyond the initial capture point at the end of the
student's university degree.
For example ‘</>’ indicates a situation in which the user may want to shift career and establish
what skills sets they need to do so, and where they can get these skills. This is becoming an
ever more popular trend, with predictions of individuals have in the range of 15-20 during their
lifetime career. Repeat usage is built into the system.
In addition, with the speed of technology developments, every industry is rapidly developing.
This, in turn, offers up multiple new opportunities to get ahead of the game in the market place.
Therefore UpSkill enables users to gain an insight into the direction their industry is heading and
consequently invest in education and drive their career and prospective earnings.

37. How It Works
37

38. Technology
How to calculate a persons suitability with a job?
This will depend on the relation between the most common skill requirements for that
sector and the user's interests, work and education history. This info will be gathered
from their uploaded CV, LinkedIn profile or manual input as well as a personality test.
How to calculate an UpSkill Score?
UpSkill Score (or educational ROI) is the relation between the cost and the forecasted
gains from the educational choice. This is calculated by determining the most relevant
certification level needed from a course plus its cost and time-commitment. Courses
that meet preset aims (such as flexible or local learning) will be rated higher. So a
course that is low in cost, low in time-commitment, is suitably accredited and meets a
few of the user’s preset requirements will have a higher UpSkill Score.
Where to get the job skills data?
Partnerships with educational courses are possible, they tell us what skills their courses
offer and in return, we can refer students to them. The skills a job type requires could
potentially be calculated using big data by, for example, using Job Search Sites
correlating the job title with the skill requirements for a potential employee. We could
potentially partner with such a site and in return recommend our users start their job
search with them when they’ve finished their most recent study.
If partnerships with external companies prove challenging, sector skill requirements
could be manually researched or we could tap into expert insights, especially with the
companies Barclays already works closely with.
Website
Extracts user’s qualifications from CV
and LinkedIn
Tells user how well matched they are for
job sectors
Recommends Courses to take to
improve skills
Provides a way to fund chosen
educational investment
Inform users on latest industry trends
and job projections
Job Matching
Job matching algorithms:
e.g. aftercollege.com
Desired Skills for jobs:
Set by industry experts
Partnerships with LinkedIn and
monster.co.uk
User Details Input
Retrieve users qualifications and
past work experience.
1. Parser used to extract details
from user uploaded CV/
linkedIn profile
2. Manual input
External Partners
Privatized Education Providers E.g. General
Assembly: Courses they offer
Job finder websites: Skills requested
for employment
Linkedin: Accessing people’s profiles and processing
to extract qualifications
Industry Trends
Statistics and projections
from papers and industry
experts
There needs to be a way to standardise the
skills required on job sites to those earned
from educational investments to allow
matching.
Education Options
Available
Import education courses:
MOOCS- Khan Academy, Coursera
Immersive- General Assembly
University Courses- UCAS
The course recommended depends
on the skills it provides and those required for a
chosen job sector.
38

39. Summary
39

40. Benefits
Insight into career
opportunities
Bridge the skill gap
quickly
Alternative
education routes
Highlight funding
opportunities
Jobs are changing quickly and
people need to be able to learn the
relevant skills as soon as possible
in order to make the most of any
opportunity.
UpSkill allows students to choose
their education journey to suit their
lifestyle and budget. This opens up
many different ways to achieve
their education goals.
By collating as many educational
opportunities through our platform and
by being a bank - Barclays has the
opportunity to provide students with
quick, effective financing.
UpSkill takes several variables into
consideration about you in order to
provide students* with the most
suitable careers. This evolves as
they learn and grow.
40

41. UpSkills 2.0…
Respected Brand
We envision that UpSkill will become synonymous with high standards, self-directed and self-initiated
learning. Unlike LinkedIn, employers will reliably know what courses the user has taken through our
service. Furthermore, it will indicate a motivated individual that wants to be the best they can be. An
Upskills student* is at the frontier of their industry and striving to have the edge over competing
candidates.
Business Interaction
A large problem recruitment departments have is the overwhelming number of under qualified applicants.
We think UpSkill can help with this. Employers will be able to pay to access a service where they can view
and search our student* base for people with the skills they are seeking.
41

42. Reliable Education Tracker
Blockchain is a distributed database accessible by all users connected to the network. This means every
transaction is visible and has complete transparency. It is thus difficult to tamper or revise the system, and
more trustworthy. Using this emerging technology but applying it to people's education path, we hope to
create a trustworthy record of ones’ educational history.
Premium Model
From our market research, we recognised an appetite from students* for the opportunity to connect with
real industry experts or attend events related to your industry. Because at the end of the day, your network
is almost as valuable as your actual qualifications. A premium model could be introduced enabling
students to access the exclusive insight talks and events that Barclays already have access to.
UpSkills 2.0 (continued)…
42

43. Appendix
43

44. Market Value
Number of graduates per year:
745,000
*There are currently 4.3 million individuals aged
25-29. Unemployment rate is 7% for this age
group. Leaving us with 4 million. Then 6 in 10
millennials are open to new job opportunities =
2.4 million individuals open to new job
opportunities.
Number of young professionals seeking
potential jobs*:
2.4million
Potential market
3,145,000
20% of people following through the website and
making educational investment*
Number of people using the
website 1%
31,450
6,290
Loan revenue per customer:
£680 (4.9% APR on £9,000 paid over 3 years)
30% of high value educational
investments i.e.. Masters
20% of medium value educational investments
50% of low value educational investments
3,145
1,258
1, 887
Revenue
£1.3 million
Affiliate fees revenue per average
course:
£90( *1% cut of a £9,000)
Revenue:
£169,830
Average course cost £250
(5% affiliate fee cut = £12.50)
Revenue
£19,656.25
Credit cards revenue
We do not have data to firmly establish how much banks
make on credit cards. In addition, this revenue stream will
be applicable to both high and medium cost courses with
large variables - we have therefore left it out of our
valuation, although it should contribute a substantial sum.
50% free courses50% paid courses
1572.5 1572.5
* We are using
the 1% affiliate
fee figure as we
suspect some
courses would
allow for an
affiliate fee to
be charged,
e.g. General
Assembly.
Whereas other
institutes may
not, e.g.
Universities
Affiliate fees revenue
£50( 5% cut of a £1,000 - average of
medium-priced course)
Revenue
£315,000
APPENDIX A
44
*We believe we could reach 1 in 100
of this target market and persuade
them to visit the site
*This number is based on standard drop
off rates seen typically in UX

45. APPENDIX B
Research
45

46. User Journey
APPENDIX C
46

47. APPENDIX D
Problem Statements
47

48. APPENDIX E
Concept Ads for
Other Ideas
48

49. APPENDIX F
Previous Idea:
BankSocial
49

50. Previous Idea:
UniHelper
APPENDIX G
50

51. APPENDIX H
Early UpSkill
Prototypes
51

52. APPENDIX I
Feedback and
Insights
52