SOCIETY

At PwC we aim to build relationships of trust and solve important problems. The aim of our social program is to help people, start-ups and NGOs acquire the skills necessary for their sustainability and success now and in the future, with a special focus on digital technologies.

One of the most serious needs of students in Greece is training in the skills necessary for their future and multidimensional professional orientation. At PwC, taking into account this important issue, we have defined the strengthening of education as a central axis of our Corporate Responsibility.

The timing of the pandemic and its consequences made even more intense the need to train students in digital skills and new technologies that are evolving at a rapid pace. It has brought forth a digital world that we are all forced to adapt to. At the same time, PwC's social program was already designed to be in a position to meet this need.

With this in mind, we made the decision to focus our resources and the efforts of our volunteers in this direction, with the aim of offering a comprehensive project that brings long-term results and value to our country.

We started implementing our programs at the beginning of the lockdown (March 2020), while working online from home. With the same methodology we continue today, with the necessary condition that all our activities have a long-term duration.

The programs are as follows:

1. The Tipping Point

2. SEN Junior Achievement

3. AIESEC Greece

4. Scholarships and internships

5. Donation of equipment to schools and students

1. The Tipping Point

Believing that every student in Greece should be able to live, learn, work and participate in the digital world, we decided to participate in The Tipping Point (TTP). TTP is a social enterprise which, through a digital platform, connects middle school and high school students throughout Greece with professionals who, as mentors, inform them about the modern business environment.

At PwC we emphasize the support of students in the Region as well as in critical areas. Our goal is to help them open their horizons to make mature choices creating their future. Through TTP's digital platform, PwC volunteers take on the role of mentor, advising and training students in the digital and other skills necessary for a successful career as business advisors and auditors, but also in the market in general.

The dialogue between students and mentors takes place in online meetings with school classes, or through video questions and answers posted on the digital platform of TTP (100 Mentors). In classroom meetings, students gather in a room and connect online with their mentor on a large screen. During the lockdown periods (March - May 2020, November 2020) we held online meetings with students and teachers connecting from their homes. The same applies to mentors, as the majority of PwC employees work from home. In a more general context, our volunteers have the possibility to choose for themselves where they will participate in the meetings with the school classes, either from their office, or by working from home using all the digital tools provided by PwC.

Thanks to Tipping Point's digital platform, PwC's technology and digital tools, we are able to reach a large number of students in areas that would otherwise be impossible. Thus, we give equal opportunities to the students of the Region to follow the developments in the modern professional field, to know what employers are looking for, while at the same time getting familiar with the new digital world.

Mentoring topic

• The essential digital skills, programs and tools for the modern work environment.
• Exciting technological developments: Artificial Intelligence - Augmented Reality - Blockchain - Drones - Internet of Things - Robotics - Virtual Reality - 3D printing.
• Internet safety and avoiding social media addiction.
• The first appearance in the working world: How to write a resume and stand an interview.
• Essential skills for Business Consultants and Chartered Auditors and Accountants. What studies they need and what kind of knowledge they need to acquire.

2. SEN Junior Achievement

PwC participates in programs to strengthen and upgrade digital and other skills of students and student groups. In this context, we take part in the SΕΝ Junior Achievement as mentors of school groups participating in the pan-Hellenic virtual business competition. We started in our financial year 2020 (1/7/19-30/6/20), specifically in March 2020, by taking on online support of a student team, Moraitis School which qualified to the top 10 teams of the final phase of the competition. In our 2021 fiscal year (1/7/20-30/6/21) we are intensifying our participation in Junior Achievement SEN, supporting eight schools in the majority of the District. Our perspective is to continue with a long-term horizon.

3. AIESEC Greece

For 16 years we have been the main partner of AIESEC. It is the largest global network managed and composed exclusively by people aged 18-30 in more than 120 countries and a strong presence in Greece. We support AIESEC by providing seminars for the development of leadership skills, as well as the personal and professional development of young people, internship opportunities and sponsorship of youth entrepreneurship programs through intercultural exchanges. Our support to AIESEC is part of PwC's main Corporate Responsibility programs and continues every year.

Our education support programs are complemented by financial support for pupils and students in two ways: offering scholarships and donating in-kind educational equipment.

4. Scholarships and internships

For 19 years, PwC has offered about 179 scholarships to students for postgraduate studies in Greece and abroad. In recent years we have participated in the scholarship programs of the University of Piraeus (Department of Finance and Banking Administration) as well as the Fulbright Foundation.

At the same time, we work closely with the Liaison Centers of the Greek universities and systematically participate in the Career Days they organize as well as in professional training events for young people. We have set up an Internship program with which we give opportunities to students with a variety of educational backgrounds and environments to get to know our industry and gain valuable professional experience. We provide them with "on the job training" and many of them, once they complete the internship program, start their careers at PwC.

5. Donation of equipment to schools and students

In September 2020 we started the program to provide equipment to schools and students across the territory. Specifically, we donated 200 laptops, used but in excellent condition and upgraded with new peripherals, which are distributed to students. For this action we collaborated with SEN (Youth Entrepreneurship Association), with the aim of supporting the initiative of the Ministry of Education to provide four million tablets to the students of all schools in the country. In the coming months we plan to offer another 200, for a total of 400 laptops. Aimed at meeting the needs of students throughout Greece, we intend to continue this practice, as long as the appropriate conditions exist, with the renewal of our equipment in the coming years.

In September 2020 we implemented a donation of school equipment for the students of remote areas as well as critical islands. We worked with Tipping Point who contacted several of the schools, with the goal of identifying together the areas where there was the greatest financial need. Our effort was strengthened by our volunteer workers, who organized internal fundraising. PwC doubled the amount they collected and in this way we covered 14 schools and 257 students in the regions: Chalki and Agios Eleftherios (Dodecanese), Orestiada, Didymoteicho, Evros, Soufli, Delvinaki Ioannina and Crete. More specifically, the students received school bags, notebooks and stationery as well as fabric masks. In addition, we enriched the school libraries with an offer of literary books in collaboration with the NGO Library4All. The feedback we got from students and teachers was heartwarming and the enthusiasm of our employees great. For this reason, we have decided to continue supporting these schools throughout the year, with various benefits depending on the needs. We intend to include this practice in our related actions for the next years.