Nestlé Canada announced the launch of its Youth Initiative, a multifaceted program designed to provide tangible training opportunities and experiences for more than 5,000 young adults over the next three years.
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Youth unemployment rates reach 13.1 percent in August 2015.
In conjunction with the launch, Nestlé also released results from its Youth Employment Survey which reveals that while youth unemployment is a prevalent issue across Canada, only 25 percent of Canadians say their place of employment offers intern/apprenticeship programs to help youth gain entry level experience.
Nestlé Canada is addressing this gap through its Youth Initiative, a program that has been designed to help prepare young Canadians for the workforce and increase their employability.
Despite limited opportunities, the survey finds that the majority of Canadians (85 percent) agree that youth are a dynamic force in the workplace.
Given today’s technologically-savvy environment, it is no surprise that Canadians deem the strongest skills and qualities that this demographic bring to the table are social media expertise (68 percent) and IT knowledge (65 percent).
A strong percentage also recognize this group provides added value through their fresh perspective (58 percent) and bridge the gap by tapping into today’s trends and latest innovations (55 percent).
Over the next three years, Nestlé’s Youth Initiative will offer young Canadians the opportunity to develop their professional skills, increase their employability and expand their network.
The value of this type of tangible work experience and hands-on training opportunity is unequivocal to Canadians, with nearly all (96 percent) in agreement that internships and apprenticeship programs are valuable tools that help youth gain practical and valuable experience they can use to enter the workforce. ■
A low pressure wave forming along a cold front will track across the New England coast this morning, bringing a period of rain, heavy at times for much of New England, especially for Maine today.