Beirut, 18 September 2017: Nestlé has today announced a new ambition for its global youth initiative: Nestlé needs YOUth. By 2030, Nestlé will help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities.
The global initiative brings together all of the efforts to support young people around the world that Nestlé undertakes on its own and with others, including the Alliance for YOUth.
In addition to employability, the initiative now also focuses on the next generation of farmers and entrepreneurs across Nestlé’s value chain. It also seeks to encourage innovation, including through a challenge on the HENRi@Nestlé open innovation platform.
Nestlé is backing up its commitment by being one of the first companies to join the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth led by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Nestlé CEO Mark Schneider made the announcements today in New York. He was speaking at events around the UN General Assembly week. He stressed that investing in young people is important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. At the same time, it is a far-sighted investment for companies as it boosts economies and business.
In the Middle East, Nestlé Needs YOUth impacted more than 5,000 young people in 2016 through initiatives that include:
- The Nestlé Center of Excellence, a Nestlé training academy founded in 2012 which trains university graduates in Saudi Arabia and Oman
- The Graduate Development Program, a three-year rotational development program that aims to recruit distinguished graduates from leading universities in the region in the fields of Marketing, Sales, Human Resources, Finance and Control, Supply Chain, and Technical
- Career advising, implemented by working with universities across the region to offer expert advice to students in the areas of readiness for work, employability, business and corporate environment, and leadership
The region’s Alliance for Youth, launched in May 2016 to bring together entities that share the objective of tackling the Middle East’s 27% unemployment rate, is also well on its way to collectively hiring 3,000 young people and impacting 50,000 by 2020.
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About Nestlé Middle East
Nestlé Middle East’s heritage goes back over 80 years to 1934 when the first import operation was set up in Lebanon. Today, Nestlé Middle East owns and operates 18 factories and provides direct employment to more than 13,000 employees who are all committed to Nestlé’s purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. It also provides indirect employment to several thousand more.
The Nestlé portfolio in the region currently exceeds 60 innovative product brands in a wide range of categories: dairy products and infant nutrition, bottled water, chocolate and confectionery, coffee creamers, breakfast cereals, culinary products, health science, skin health, and Pet Care, among others. Nestlé Nido, Nestlé NAN, S-26, Progress, Maggi, Nescafé, Kit Kat, Coffeemate, Nestlé Cerelac, Nestlé Fitness, Nestlé Pure Life, Nespresso, Optifast and Cetaphil are just some of the brands available in the Middle East.