FDBusiness.com

Premier Foods has more than doubled its support for this year’s Feeding Britain’s Future campaign in 2013, hosting events at more than 20 of its sites nationwide offering skills training to help tackle youth unemployment. The campaign is led by the research charity IGD and gives youngsters around the country the opportunity to gain the skills they need to get into work.

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, 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. As well as attending practical sessions, participants will also have CV and interview sessions with HR managers to help them develop their employability skills and improve their chances of getting a job.

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.

Gavin Darby, chief executive of Premier Foods.

Gavin Darby, chief executive of Premier Foods, says: “Following our experience last year, we’re delighted we have been able to more than double our involvement in Feeding Britain’s Future in 2013. There are many exciting opportunities in the food and grocery industry. It’s important we support young people in our local communities and help them develop the skills they need to find work, either in our industry or elsewhere.”

Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive of IGD, comments: “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 the country will make the most of this opportunity to develop their skills and grow their confidence.”