Nestlé, coalition partners creating jobs for future leaders
UNDER A regional initiative led by Nestlé, the multinational food company is partnering with six others to hire young people in Jamaica and the Caribbean.
Around a thousand jobs, at both entry and professional levels, are expected to be created over the next three years in the areas of distribution, tourism and hospitality, telecommunications, education, and finance, under the initiative that has been ongoing for six years.
This year, Nestlé has got buy-in from Sandals Resorts, Massy Group, Digicel Jamaica, University of the Southern Caribbean, AV Knowles, and The University of the West Indies, according to Head of Corporate Communications for Nestlé Anglo-Dutch Caribbean, Siti Jones Gordon.
The pledging organisations, having assessed their talent needs, are prepared to upskill, train and hire young people, said Gordon.
“The programme commenced in 2015 in Trinidad & Tobago and has since been rolled out to Jamaica in 2016, Guyana, Barbados and St Lucia — impacting over 38,000 youth year to date,” she said.
She added that the mission of the programme was not only to create jobs, but also to improve youth employability, while building a pipeline of future leaders. It includes internships, training and mentorship activities; and this year a new element will be added, NOW 2021, or the Nestlé Caribbean Youth Summit, which is being hosted in conjunction with Caricom and corporate partners and is scheduled for next week, October 5-6.
“This summit will be a concentrated two-day opportunity to expose up to 10,000 youth across the Caribbean to development workshops, mentorship and networking opportunities and motivational discussions,” Gordon says.
NOW is ideally targeting youngsters age 16 to 29, added Gordon, while noting that there is an urgent need to respond to the diminished state of youth employment, which globally fell by 8.7 per cent in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, compared with 3.7 per cent for adults.
“Young people are sometimes undermined in their quest for employment, but by offering them opportunities like mentorship, training, internships, and apprenticeships, we increase their chances of getting a job, which helps to increase the momentum of youths’ contributions across sectors within the society,” she said.