Six hundred university students participated in a virtual “Day @ Nestlé,” which aims to offer young people exposure to working life in multinational companies, and enhance the skills they need to help secure post graduation employment, especially in the areas of sales, marketing, supply chain and operations. Held in November in ten countries across the Middle East and North Africa, the events were jointly organized by youth and leadership teams from within Nestlé.
“These “Readiness for Work” events are part of our commitment to supporting the career development of youths, offering various opportunities for learning as well as creating at least 1,000 new jobs for people under the 30 years old by 2025,” said David Moloto, Nestlé Human Resources Director in the MENA region. “We continue to connect with young men and women in our region during these challenging times to help enhance their understanding of the present and future of work opportunities.”
Nestlé’s efforts are part of its Nestlé needs YOUth initiative, with specific actions in the Middle East and North Africa that help meet the company’s regional commitment to Foster Career Opportunities for Youth by enhancing skills, and promoting employability and career progression.
The virtual “Day @ Nestlé” starts with an introduction of the company and its Creating Shared Value commitments which guide its engagement in society, followed by overviews from different functions to help acquaint participants with specific roles in multinational entities, including how businesses are run in the food and beverage industry. It concludes with CV Writing and Job Interviews training sessions.
The events come at a time when youth unemployment rates in the Middle East and North Africa, already the world’s highest at 29 percent according to the World Economic Forum, are being further exacerbated by the COVID-19[1] pandemic which has led nearly half the region’s young people to consider leaving their countries.
Nestlé recently announced that it has hired more than 2,600 young people under the age of 30 in the region since 2016, totaling 70% of its new hires during the period. The company has also organized 380 Readiness for Work events in the same period, impacting 35,000 people across the region. In addition, more than 100 interns were hired across Nestlé‘s offices in MENA in 2020 alone.
Young people interested in exploring opportunities offered by Nestlé can find more information through visiting Nestlé’s MENA career page: https://www.nestle-mena.com/en/careers
