Our commitment to youth

Facing the future in an uncertain world

New talent and skills are essential to maintaining the vitality of any organisation. But it is also critical for us, as a large company, particularly in these difficult times, to support both the employment and the employability of young people just starting out in their careers.

A leg up

We have formal programmes, such as graduate schemes, internships and apprenticeships. During the pandemic we also offered virtual work experience that we intend to continue with. We are engaging with schools, universities and colleges to raise awareness of the opportunities there are within Nestlé and to help with employability skills.

This is part of our responsibility as good corporate citizens, but it is also the best way to bring in the new skills and talent that will take us into the future.

We are at a difficult moment for employment in general and we know, at the best of times, how daunting it can be for young people taking those first career steps. Despite the challenges we are all dealing with, and consistent with Nestlé UK & Ireland's long history of working with young people, we believe continuing to support youth employment is the right thing to do.

Paul Steadman HR Director for Nestlé UK & Ireland

Apprentice holds keys in front of a lorry

Nestlé's own fleet is a strategic part of its logistics operation and recruiting an HGV apprentice has been an ambition of the Nestlé UK & Ireland transport team for some time: "While we saw HGV apprenticeships coming along, they were for smaller vehicles and didn't suit Nestlé's needs. Now, the standard is in a place where the C+E HGV Licence can be done as an apprenticeship," said Sally Wright, Head of Delivery.

"Lucy, and the apprentices who follow in her footsteps as we roll this out, will spend time on the road with drivers, but also in our transport planning team so that they understand how we plan our transport, and more importantly, why we plan it that way."

Nestlé has been investing in apprentices for more than six decades, specifically in manufacturing and engineering roles, and currently has 190 people on 27 different programmes.