Celebrating International Youth Day on 12 August, social initiatives focusing on young people's problems are important. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global economy and labour market, with a strong impact on young people– in the first quarter of 2020, the youth unemployment rate in Latvia reached 13.5 %.
To encourage young people to enter the labour market, Nestlé Group has already created the Nestlé needs YOUthinitiative in 2013, which offers training and internship programmes as well as a first job for young people to acquire the necessary skills for their further careers.
The company develops this initiative in the Baltic States and provides employment opportunities and paid internships to students from different industries every year to help gain the experience that will be required in future jobs. Young people strengthen the company, promote internal change and help the company remain dynamic and competitive. For example, in the company's Vilnius office, 20% of its employees are trainees every year.
Ieva Patejūnaite, who started her career as an intern at Nestlé Baltics and received an offer to become a sales marketer, says she learned about the initiative from a friend at the university and immediately decided to apply: "One of the reasons why I applied for this program was to try out a job at a large corporation. The opportunity to work not only with lithuanian colleagues, but also with colleagues from all over the Baltics also seemed tempting to me."
As she points out, practice is a way for a young person who is not yet sure what area he is most interested in, can try different activities and find his right way. "I think it's very important to use internships and gain knowledge before starting work. Especially if you're not sure what job you're most interested in. When I started practice, it was very important to test my strengths in more than one chapter. At first I worked in logistics, then I switched to marketing and I have been working here for more than two years," says Patejūnaite.
Employer's social responsibility is important for young people
Through social initiatives, the company is moving towards the goal of improving people's quality of life and investing in a healthy future for society. Communities will recover more easily from the pandemic and become stronger if young people have the opportunity to improve their skills, find a job or start a business.
HR specialist Viktorija Urbonaite emphasises the importance of the company's cultural and social responsibility. She did not practice in the specialty she studied, but in a field that interested her more – human resources, then received a job offer and stayed in this job. She says: "I admire how much the company works for both the environment and society. This was reaffirmed by the COVID-19 crisis, during which the company had a particularly responsible approach to helping society and employees. Practice, on the other end, has helped me lay a strong foundation for my future career, to understand the business environment from within and how this market works. Here I have the opportunity to put theoretical knowledge into practice. Direct communication between colleagues and managers increases trust in the company, as well as improves motivation. Here I have every opportunity to grow as a specialist, acquire new skills, discover myself, develop as a personality and understand what is important for a young person."
Experience in international markets
The experience gained in an international company helps to understand regional differences in markets and see needs in a broader perspective, says Ieva Šavareikaitiene, sales support specialist. «I wanted to operate Nestlé because it is a very large company where you can gain a lot of experience. Every day I have to contact colleagues from all over the world – the opportunity to get to such an international environment seemed very attractive. "When I started my internship, I got involved in various projects right away, became part of the team and felt I was perceived as an equal employee."
With nestlé needs YOUth, young people from different countries can choose to practise in any area of the company's activities, from production and supply to agriculture and innovation. The company has set itself the goal of helping 10 million young people worldwide take advantage of the opportunities offered by the economy and find their place in the labour market by 2030.