Nestlé is offering 100 young people an opportunity to join its newly established Virtual Internship program as part of the organisation’s ongoing interventions aimed at reducing youth unemployment, across East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR).
Speaking about the initiative, Desiree Zikalala, Head of Learning and Organisational Design at Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region (ESAR) emphasised the importance of bridging the gap between a required skill, job output as well as collaborative efforts by different role-players in mitigating this challenge.
“Unemployment is a global challenge and our region is no exception. The most impacted are the young people. According to the International Labour Organisation research, there has been a 23% decline in working hours for employed youth, 31,1% of young women and 13,9% of young men are in neither education, employment nor training. Furthermore, 1 in 6 youth have stopped working since the coronavirus outbreak.”
Qualified youth from any higher education institution can register on https://nestle.thetalent.games/ and once the assessments and selection processes have been finalized, successful applicants will be notified. The virtual internship commences on 1 October to 30 November 2020.
This program forms part of Nestlé’s Needs Youth Global initiatives that are aimed at creating and implementing employability programmes, mentorship and training initiatives that will equip the youth with essential workplace skills. “In addition to receiving a financial stipend, this program offers participants high tech-enabled learning, international skills transfers as they will be mentored by leading global experts,” added Zikalala.
Today’s announcement coincides with the worldwide commemoration of the International Youth Day 2020. This year’s theme: “Youth Engagement for Global Action” seeks to highlight the ways in which the engagement of young people at the local, national and global levels is enriching national and multilateral institutions and processes.
Contact
Zweli Mnisi
082 312 8940
Corporate Spokesperson
Nestlé East and Southern Africa Region
About Nestlé
Nestlé is the world’s largest food and beverage company. It is present in 187 countries around the world, and its 291,000 employees are committed to Nestlé’s purpose of unlocking the power of food to enhance quality for everyone, today and for generations to come. Nestlé offers a wide portfolio of products and services for people and their pets throughout their lives. Its more than 2,000 brands range from global icons like Nescafé or Nespresso to local favorites like Ninho *. Company performance is driven by its Nutrition, Health and Wellness strategy. Nestlé is based in the Swiss town of Vevey where it was founded more than 150 years ago.