DT unveils Project Futureproof to support career opportunities for Gen Z

Deutsche Telekom’s Project Futureproof aims to stand by Gen Z and leverage digital optimism to help enable a successful future for the next generation and is supported by seven-time GRAMMY award winner Billie Eilish.

More than one in two European Gen Z are concerned about their post-pandemic futures. Project Futureproof is a support platform that has been developed to demonstrate the huge potential of Gen Z and help inspire them to identify future careers, as well as uncover skills they do not know they have.

It has been developed in collaboration with both Gen Z contributors and a diverse group of professional skills and employability experts. Project Futureproof aims to connect users to peer-to-peer inspiration and support.

“The future feels uncertain”, says Billie Eilish, “but I’m always inspired by what our generation is able to achieve in the face of so many different challenges.”

With digital optimism through the pandemic

In a post-pandemic world, there are many uncertainties the next generation are facing; culturally, socially economically. Research released today by Deutsche Telekom shows 61 percent of European Gen Z are anxious about their future job and career prospects. 54 percent are unsure what careers will exist in the future, with 43 percent saying they are unsure if they have the qualities they need to succeed.

“Gen Z are stepping into a world of work that will have been fundamentally changed by both the COVID-19 pandemic and digital transformation.” explains Ulrich Klenke, Chief Brand Officer at Deutsche Telekom. “We believe that it is our collective responsibility to help them navigate the opportunities and challenges they face. We want to show them that if they have a passion, they have a future.”

#wearefutureproof: from Gen Z for Gen Z

At the heart of Project Futureproof is a free-to-access digital tool that helps Gen Z to better understand their abilities and how these are connected to future career opportunities. It uses established RIASEC (vocational personality) modelling to help to connect users with potential future career clusters.

The tool helps Gen Z to see how their passions, skills, talents and personality are fundamental to helping shape their future journey and how they can best use these personal attributes as part of future careers. Unlike existing services, the tool takes a uniquely Gen Z perspective, identifying key trends & changes in the world of work, delivering insights through a personalised, gamified experience.

Alongside the tool, a ‘Project Futureproof’ online hub also features helpful resources where Deutsche Telekom experts share insights on how to write CVs, prepare for job interviews and improve your social media profile.

As Europe’s most valuable Telecommunications brand, Deutsche Telekom is dedicated to supporting young people with a broad ongoing range of initiatives including dual student and apprenticeship programmes, careers & employability resources, tailored youth tariffs and localised initiatives.

Deutsche Telekom is launching an international Gen Z engagement campaign and an optimistic short film that invites young people to choose utopia over dystopia and trust that their passion will support them.

Created by Saatchi & Saatchi, London, the film has a message of digital optimism hinting at the career opportunities that will naturally evolve from this generations’ current passions.

Set in 2021, a series of sci-fi glitches offers a group of Gen Z a vision into the future, showing a glimpse into how they (and the world around them) have been changed by following their passions. Directed by Rollo Jackson, the series of vignettes of the future harness a spirit of hope and possibility with a playful, but contemporary, nod to sci-fi.

Backed by a version of Billie Eilish’s ‘My Future’, the superstar also cameos in the future world. The campaign will be featured across a range of Gen Z focused digital and social media channels including Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Spotify.

In 2020, Deutsche Telekom partnered with Billie Eilish to shine a light on the power and potential of connected technology in the hands of young people. Now more than ever, facilitating equal participation in social, economic and cultural life is a key focus for the brand. Project Futureproof is the next phase of its mission to support this generation, and what they do next.