Wales Office backs ‘Feeding Britain’s Future’
Campaign is designed to help young unemployed people get a foot on the career ladder.
‘Feeding Britain’s Future’
Wales Office ministers are lending their support to a campaign from the food and grocery industry designed to help young unemployed people get a foot on the career ladder.
As part of ‘Feeding Britain’s Future - Skills for Work Month’, the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has formed a partnership with Jobcentre Plus to encourage farms, factories and major retailers to throw open their doors, and provide free skills training for unemployed 16-24 year olds.
In a bid to inspire young people to consider a career in the food and grocery industry, participants will have the chance to undertake CV and interview technique training, and to tour behind the scenes to gain an insight into the jobs available in the sector.
Backing the campaign, Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones said:
Our support for initiatives such as Feeding Britain’s Future is more than a one-month endeavour. Through the Youth Contract and the Work Programme, this Government is showing its commitment to making sure that young people have support in place to help get a sound footing on the career ladder.
But we also need local businesses to continue to support these schemes – employers who will invest in training, give someone a work experience placement, or employ a young person.
The recent Wales Office Jobs Summits in Newport and Wrexham successfully gathered businesses, employability organisations and young people together to do just that – to discuss how to offer more work experience, internships and apprenticeship opportunities to young people.
It is fantastic to see employers opening their doors to young people and giving them the vital employability skills they need to secure a job.
Wales Office Minister, Baroness Jenny Randerson will show her support for the project when she attends a celebration day for the young people who have completed their Feeding Britain’s Future programme at the Marks & Spencer store in Cardiff’s city centre (3 October).
Baroness Randerson said:
Feeding Britain’s Future mirrors the government’s endeavours to reduce youth unemployment perfectly.
The latest unemployment figures have shown that the number of young people currently out of work in Wales is down 4,400 compared to this time last year, but it remains too high.
We need the support of businesses like those involved in this campaign to give young people a chance, a chance that previous generations took for granted. In doing so, we can show other employers, large and small, that investing in young people will be good for business.
Throughout September, over 190 businesses are participating in 1,200 locations covering every region in the UK. In total the campaign will provide 15,000 skills training opportunities, such as CV and interview workshops, to young people across the UK.
Joanne Denney-Finch OBE, Chief Executive of IGD, said:
Feeding Britain’s Future is about helping young people to understand the rules of the game. By offering valuable training in areas like CV writing and interview skills, we want to build confidence so they can compete in the jobs market.
Young people who join us in September will be able to hear first-hand from industry experts about what it is that makes successful applicants stand out and how they too can sell themselves.
We have a huge amount to offer, employing 3.7million people in a diverse range of jobs from food scientists and engineers, to the important people winning the battle on the front line providing great customer service in stores. In our industry people can genuinely progress from the shop or factory floor to the top of the business.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Some of the UK’s biggest retailers and manufacturers are on board including, Asda, The Co-operative, Dairy Crest, Greencore, Mars, Mondelez, Morrisons, Nestle, NFU, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Waitrose.
For further information about the ‘Feeding Britain’s Future’ campaign, please contact Jenny Craig – jenny.craig@portland-communications.com / 0207 842 0159
About IGD
IGD is the leading source of information and best practice on the consumer goods industry worldwide. It aims to inspire positive action through information. IGD offers unparalleled understanding and insight, developed from extensive research programmes on global business issues and an ongoing dialogue with shoppers.