It is more vital than ever that businesses work in partnership with education and government to support the employment prospects of young people.

With 18-24 year olds disproportionately affected by the economic impact of COVID-19, it is more vital than ever that businesses work in partnership with education and government to support the employment prospects of young people.

This month, the Government’s Skills and Post-16 Education Bill has been introduced, aiming to create a system that is fit for the future, providing the skills that people need for well-paid jobs and opportunities to train throughout their lifetime.  At IGD, we are committed to playing our part in creating that system.

The food and consumer goods industry is the largest private sector employer, employing one in seven people in the UK, and IGD is uniquely placed to bring together industry professionals and young people to deliver nationwide skills development programmes to tackle this societal challenge at scale. 

We harness the passion our industry has for people development and by working together, to date we’ve given 60,000 young people vital employability skills training to develop their capability and potential to thrive in the workplace. 

We’re working in partnership with Job Centre Plus, secondary schools and colleges and some of the biggest names in the FMCG industry to deliver large scale work experience programmes to thousands of young people, and our virtual work experience week [24 May – 28 May] will highlight the skills needed for a career in the industry. We’re bringing together professionals from major retailers and manufacturers, from CEOs to apprentices, to run daily masterclasses on sales and marketing, engineering and technology. 

As well as supporting young, unemployed people, this week is open to students in higher education, and secondary school students in years 10-13, so we can provide experiences of the working world to students who would normally be undertaking physical work placements at the time. 

It’s great to see this work experience programme having an impact, with 91% of previous participants telling us it’s developed their skills and 86% telling us they’re more confident about their employment prospects. Many have got in touch to tell us how this support has already helped them to secure a job! These actions will provide vital support and training to kick-start young peoples’ careers at a time when they need it most. It also supports the attraction of young talent into our fast-paced, innovative and resilient industry.

Fiona Miller, Director of People Programmes at IGD