Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER March 21, 2016 14 FEATURES T&D Sweetening opportunities for today's youth Nestlé commits to increasing internships by 25 per cent By Shelley Martin G iven the realities of to- day's challenging job market, there is no doubt Canadians who are graduating and looking to land their dream job are facing a tough time. It doesn't seem to be getting any easier for this demographic to secure gainful employment, let alone an internship or training program in their fi eld of study. e age old adage "You can't get a job without experience and you can't get experience without a job" has never been more true. Now more than ever, Canadian leaders in the private sector need to step up and invest in the future of one of our most valuable resources — our youth. It is no surprise younger Canadi- ans are increasingly anxious when it comes to job prospects. Only 25 per cent of Canadians say their place of employment off ers intern or apprenticeship programs to help youth gain entry level experi- ence, according to a 2015 survey of 1,555 people by Nestlé. To address this gap, Nestlé Can- ada launched Youth Initiative in Canada last fall as an extension of its Global Youth Initiative, which is committed to offering more than 5,000 youth the opportu- nity to develop their professional skills, increase their employability and expand their network. In just a few months, 1,800 young Cana- dians have already been involved. e youth initiative addresses an important need — helping students develop the necessary skills to prepare for the workforce while also building a pipeline for the next generation of leaders. By providing internships, formalized training programs and "readiness for work activities," Nestlé is com- mitted to helping young adults make the important transition from education to careers and to prepare for their future. As a mother of two daughters in university, I see fi rsthand the value of the initiative. As well, this demographic brings a signifi cant amount of value to the workforce through their fresh perspectives and insights into today's trends and latest innovations. In fact, a majority of Canadians (85 per cent) agree youth are a dynamic force in the workplace, accord- ing to the Nestlé survey, and the strongest skills and qualities this demographic brings to the table are social media expertise (68 per cent) and IT knowledge (65 per cent). At its core, the Youth Initiative is grounded by four pillars — get hired, get skilled, get support and get more opportunities — that are fundamental for setting youth up for success in their careers. Whether they continue to work at Nestlé or move on to another workplace, the experience youth will gain from our program will provide the foundation for a suc- cessful career trajectory. Get hired The roles offered through the Youth Initiative span across multiple business areas, provid- ing a range of opportunities for those interested in a variety of careers including: sales, market- ing, supply chain, fi nance, human resources, information technol- ogy and opportunities within the factory such as the operational management trainee program. National opportunities are avail- able within both sales and retail. Each will be an opportunity to learn and grow. In May, Nestlé is launching a Rotational Associate Program. is structured 24-month pro- gram will have associates engaged and challenged to meet learning objectives established in sales, marketing, supply chain and fi - nance. Successful graduates are placed in a specialized role based on functional competencies and preferences. rough this pillar, the compa- ny is committed to increase new grad hires by fi ve per cent through formalized graduate programs and entry level positions and will hire more than 1,300 employees under the age of 30 by 2018. Get skilled The unequivocal value of tan- gible training opportunities will continue to increase as the job market becomes more competi- tive. Having a degree is now often considered the base requirement rather than providing a leg up. It's actual hands-on training and ex- periences that are the expectation at every job interview. "Getting skilled" is all about providing hands-on experiences to create and build a brighter future for youth — one that is shaped on professional skills and practical experience. Internships provide and off er youth an op- portunity to gain real work experi- ence and strengthen their profes- sional development, making them more employable for the future. e program is diff erent be- cause interns are brought into the boardroom. For example, as a marketing intern, students are in- volved with anything from pack- aging design and social media campaigns to specifi c marketing executions. As supply chain interns, stu- dents have the opportunity to work on dedicated projects with- in functional areas including de- mand and supply planning, physi- cal logistics and customer service. As part of the Youth Initiative, Nestlé is committed to increasing internship opportunities by 25 per cent over three years — translat- ing to more than 350 interns and trainees under 30 by 2018. Get support e transition from university or college to the workforce can be diffi cult and many young adults lack the support to lead them to success. Nestlé off ers "readi- ness to work activities" including networking events, career coun- selling and interview training and recruitment workshops at universities and colleges across Canada. e company is participating in on-campus events, speaking and connecting with millenni- als, discussing career opportuni- ties and sharing advice. Engaging with this thriving demographic is truly a win-win situation — they are learning from us and we are learning so much from them. Nestlé is also working directly with business schools. For ex- ample, it is the sponsor of the national 2016 Queen's Marketing Association Conference (QMAC) Case Competition and will work with the winning team who se- cure a paid internship at Nestlé this summer. By playing an active role on campuses across Canada and providing students with the net- working and career counselling opportunities, Nestlé has already reached more than 1,450 youth in 2015 and looks forward to reach- ing more students each year. Get more opportunities ere should be no boundaries to helping youth prepare for a bright future and a career they love. Be- yond providing practical work experience and training oppor- tunities, corporations dedicated to supporting youth grow need to expand their reach to ensure in- ternship and work opportunities are plentiful across sectors. Nestlé is connecting with busi- ness partners to build an alliance for youth and developing a num- ber of joint initiatives to provide meaningful work experience, in- ternship and training opportuni- ties across the board. e three-year Youth Initiative has already gained a lot of inter- est and attraction. e number of applications to the summer and internship opportunities has doubled and in 2015, Nestlé in- creased the number of summer jobs and internship opportunities by 16 per cent. ere is still more work to be done but we are proud to be off to a great start in creating opportu- nities for today's youth. Shelley Martin is president and CEO of Nestlé Canada. For further infor- mation on the program, visit www. cor p orate .ne stle .c a/en/c are er s/ youth-initiative. There should be no boundaires to helping youth prepare for a bright future and a career they love.

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