Food industry targets increased youth employment.
Over 100 local youngsters will have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to get back into work when they visit Mondelēz International as part of a nationwide campaign to tackle youth unemployment.
Following the success of a pilot project in 2012, the food and grocery industry has launched Feeding Britain’s Future – Skills for Work Month 2013 and is helping youngsters across Birmingham to gain the skills they need to gain employment.
Feeding Britain’s Future, led by research charity IGD, is the first initiative of its kind, giving young people access to farms, factories and stores, and first-hand knowledge of the skills needed for a career in the food industry or elsewhere.
Last year 70 businesses participated, in 700 locations covering every region in the UK. The campaign provided 10,000 training opportunities with 98% of participants saying they felt more confident applying for a job. This year the campaign already has over 100 companies signed up and plans to offer more than 12,000 opportunities for young unemployed people across 1,000 locations nationwide.
Youngsters from Jobcentre Plus and St Basils will have CV and interview sessions with recruitment experts and employee volunteers from across the site to help them develop their employability skills and improve their chances of getting a job. As well as workshops to improve their soft skills, all participants will have the chance to meet with apprentices currently working on site, participate in a blind tasting session, and take a tour of the Bournville manufacturing plant to see how the business is run and the wide range of careers available.
Kelly Farrell, community affairs assistant manager at Mondelēz International, said: “We participated in Feeding Britain’s Future – Skills for Work Week 2012 and it was extremely encouraging to see young unemployed people engaging with Mondelēz International employees. We hope to repeat this on a larger scale this year and are excited to once again be involved in this major UK initiative.”
The food and grocery industry is the UK’s biggest private sector employer providing 3.7m – or one in seven – jobs and there are a huge range of careers on offer. Young people from Birmingham will get a chance to learn about when they visit Mondelēz International later this month.
IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch added, “The UK food and grocery industry employs 3.7 million people, making us Britain’s biggest private sector employer. With that scale comes responsibility. We have a vital role to play in tackling youth unemployment by sharing our advice and experience.
“Feeding Britain’s Future is bringing the industry together to share the rules of the game with young people. We hope young people from in and around Birmingham will make the most of this opportunity to develop their skills and grow their confidence.”
