Nestlé in society Creating Shared Value and meeting our commitments 2015

Nestlé in society:
Creating Shared Value
Nutrition, health
and wellness
Rural development
Water
Environmental
sustainability
Human rights
and compliance
Our
people
G4-EC6, Training and education G4-DMA
Reintroducing apprenticeship
schemes in Eastern Europe
Staff volunteering programme
in France
In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, VET schemes have had a
long tradition, but most were abandoned in the 1990s, as a
result of the transformation of the society and economy after
the regime change. The need has remained and in Slovakia
from September 2015 Nestlé has received official approval for
a new Operator in Food Industry Products apprenticeship
class. The three-year programme prepares students for work at
food business operators, such as in bakeries or groceries.
On-the-job training classes (usually half of the curriculum) are
to be held at our Prievidza factory.
In the Czech Republic, at the Nestlé Zora factory, we are
supporting local schools with the Chocolate Confectionery
Production apprenticeship programme. In 2015, 75% of the 34
apprentices that graduated were hired. Key to the scheme’s
success is associated cooperation with local authorities, the
secondary school, elementary schools and parents.
In France, Nestlé has pioneered three employee volunteering
programmes to help tackle the country’s high rate of youth
unemployment (currently 24.4%). Wednesday workshops
provide coaching for up to 40 unemployed young people once
a month, while volunteers have encouraged more than 2300
children to stay in school through a school dedication scheme,
run in partnership with NGO Energie Jeunes (Young Energy).
Collaborating with another NGO, Un Stage et Après (‘An
Internship and After’), Nestlé offices and factories throughout
France host on average 10 school children each month for a
‘week of discovery’, so that they can experience the workplace
and be inspired to achieve their potential.
Supporting the European Alliance for YOUth initiative
Building on our efforts, around 200 companies have now joined
forces with Nestlé to tackle long-term joblessness among young
people in Europe. In 2014, we launched the Alliance for YOUth,
which unites companies in Europe to provide apprenticeships,
traineeships and readiness for work events. This year, two new
multinationals joined the alliance as pan-European partners, Engie
and Metro.
In its first year, the Alliance for YOUth has helped more than
50 000 young Europeans to find jobs or training opportunities. It
has pledged to create more than 100 000 opportunities for young
people by 2017. With 4.8 million people in Europe under the age
of 25 still unemployed, the group is working closely with schools
and universities to set up ‘dual-learning’ schemes across the
continent, combining formal education with apprenticeships and
on-the-job training to help match skills with jobs on the market.
March 2015 saw the Alliance for YOUth introduce a social and
participative platform, made by youth for youth, and hosted on
Facebook. It offers education, jobs, services and entertainment,
with focus areas including ‘how to look for a job’; ‘preparing your
CVs and cover letters’; ‘taking care of your digital footprint’; and
‘securing an interview’. The platform is developed and managed
by students from CREA and INSEEC, two higher-education school
organisations, as part of their digital marketing degree programme.
After one year of activity, we can say that the Alliance
for YOUth creates a new dynamic. More than 60% of
the business partners have already improved youth
recruitment practices and youth employability since
they became involved in the alliance.”
Luis Cantarell, Nestlé Executive Vice President,
Head of Zone EMENA
In 2015, Nestlé and the Alliance for YOUth co-initiated
the European Pact4Youth. The pact, was created by corporate
social responsibility network CSR Europe, in partnership with the
European Commission. It aims to boost collaboration between
business and education providers, in support of youth
employability and inclusion. It has targeted the creation of 10 000
partnerships, with a shared target to establish at least 100 000
apprenticeships, traineeships or entry-level jobs. Around 400
people attended the launch event, with European Employment
Commissioner Thyssen, European Parliament President Schulz
under patronage and in the presence of the King of Belgium.
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