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AT&T Helps Aspiring Young People Skill-Up for Career Opportunities in the Digital Age

Peter Daly, VP Global Service Management at AT&T

There’s a culture shift going on at AT&T as our business grows in technology, media, and telecommunications. It’s a culture of continuous learning to acquire new skills, so that we can create the talent needed to drive innovation across our company. We are investing in education and training to create a diverse and skilled workforce that will help power our company for the future. Through the AT&T Aspire initiative, we help provide access to the training young people need to get and keep good jobs.

I think nearly all young people have an innate sense of ambition. They are also generally familiar with technology. One of my goals is to help them channel these energies for success in school and their careers.     

Formal education is essential. But it’s a helping hand from a mentor that opens doors. Even if it’s a mental door flung open to provide the insight and confidence they need to chart their own career path. Mentors can be critical for those who don’t have a sounding board or source of advice in their day-to-day life. 

Many of my colleagues and associates at AT&T understand this. We want to help by sharing our own on-the-job experience and insights. We’re doing this by mentoring through AT&T Aspire. My team is active in 8 countries – Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Israel, the Netherlands, Slovakia and the U.K. Last year, 426 employees in Europe mentored 5,306 young people. Activities included job shadowing and skills workshops. 

In Europe, we connect with students through JA Europe, Europe’s largest provider of education programs for entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy.  I am proud and delighted to accept an invitation from JA Europe to join its board. I’m even more thrilled to announce we’re stepping up our commitment to students by giving $500,000 to JA Europe for the 2017-2018 academic year.

We’re looking forward to repeating the success of last year’s mentoring programs.  Programs like Jong Ondernemen’s “Leader for a Day” in the Netherlands. It provides students the chance to job shadow a corporate executive for a full day.

In the Czech Republic, we invited young people to sharpen their STEM skills through a 24-hour youth hackathon. And in the U.K., we hosted an annual work experience week for schools close to our offices in London and Redditch. 

We mentored student teams of mini companies who entered national and regional competitions, like the Young Enterprise UK National Final 2017 in London. At the 28th Annual JA Europe Company of the Year 2017 ceremony held in Brussels, we were a title sponsor for the “AT&T Excellence in IT Award.” I was delighted to present the award to “Demenish” from Denmark. They showed the best technologically innovative drive and strong business potential. Their winning idea? A configurable tablet and app designed to support dementia patients and their families in the management of their care and well-being.  

It’s students and programs like these that will help AT&T be a leader in technology, media, and telecommunications.

Category : Entrepreneurship Education Posted : 5 October 2017 09:06 UTC
About the Author
Peter Daly, VP Global Service Management at AT&T

Peter joined AT&T in March 2007 as the Customer Services General Manager in support of the EMEA business, before transitioning on assignment to the US in 2011 to lead the Service Management team supporting the Financial Services Signature Client Group. From May 2012 he had operated in support the Executive Vice President of Global Customer Service as the Executive Director – Chief of Staff and Program Management. Since September 2014, in the role of Vice President, he leads Global Enhanced Customer Service Management teams located in 30 countries across 4 regions.

Peter has 25 years of management and leadership experience, 14 of these within the telecoms industry. Following a decade with the British military, Peter chose to pursue a civilian career, which started in Chase Manhattan Bank’s project management team. Peter subsequently entered the technology sector as an account manager with Avaya’s (then Lucent Technologies) Value Added Reseller channel in London, UK. Here he was instrumental in securing new business opportunities and winning major bids for voice solutions, particularly in the City’s niche legal market.

On joining WorldCom’s Global Accounts segment in October 2000, Peter initially assumed responsibility for the front office implementation teams in EMEA. Throughout Chapter 11 and the subsequent acquisition by Verizon, he was promoted into a variety of implementation and service management client facing roles, continuing to support US and international global MNCs. This period was characterized by increased responsibilities at a team and personal level during which Peter made significant relationship, growth & retention contributions to accounts
including ABN AMRO, BOC, UBS, Bloomberg, General Electric and Royal Bank of Scotland.

On joining AT&T in 2007, Peter served as the Customer Service General Manager in EMEA with responsibility for the customer experience across a broad portfolio of AT&T’s global managed services clients before taking up his assignment in the United States in support of AT&T’s financial services clients.

Peter also serves as the executive sponsor of AT&T’s Aspire Mentoring Academy in EMEA which fosters and encourages high school students to stay in education and acquire skills pertinent to the work place. Aspire is currently active with AT&T in 11 locations outside the USA.
In addition to his commercial, customer relationship and leadership skills, Peter holds an Honours Degree in History & Political Science (BA Hons) from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and a Diploma in Financial Management (DipFM) with the Association of Certified and Chartered Accountants (ACCA). He is a member of the UK’s Institute of Directors (IoD). When not at work, he enjoys running, outdoor pursuits and history.

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