FDBusiness.com

More than 7,000 young job seekers across Brazil will be offered the chance to develop their professional skills and increase their employability, as Nestlé rolls out its Global Youth Initiative in the country. The company, which already employs about 21,000 people in Brazil, will offer 7,000 opportunities to under 30s by 2017, of which 2,800 will be apprenticeships or traineeships.

An additional 30,000 young people will benefit from ‘readiness for work’ activities, such as career counselling, CV workshops and interview training at schools, colleges and Nestlé sites.

Nestlé Brazil will also encourage its 11,000 suppliers to join the initiative and create their own opportunities for young people.

“The aim of this initiative is to create a stronger link between education, training and employment,” says Laurent Freixe, Nestlé Executive Vice President, Head of Zone Americas. “We want to help as many young people as possible to develop the skills and competences that will allow them to be successful in the job market.”

Nestlé launched its Global Youth Initiative in Mexico in February, following the launch of its Youth Employment Initiative in Europe in 2013, where it pledged to create 20,000 jobs and training opportunities for under 30s by 2016. By the end of 2014, it had helped more than 11,000 young people.

In the Americas, the initiative will reach more than 900,000 young people over the next three years. Nestlé will hire 24,000 new recruits, open over 7,000 apprenticeship and traineeship positions, and implement readiness for work programmes to reach more than 870,000 young people.

Last year, Nestlé expanded its Youth Employment Initiative in Europe to create the Alliance for YOUth, a collaboration between leading companies committed to tackling youth unemployment by offering experience and internships. The alliance has helped more than 50,000 young Europeans to find jobs or training opportunities in its first year.