OREANDA-NEWS. Nestlé has shared details on the progress of Nestlé needs YOUth, its global initiative to tackle youth unemployment, at Austria’s Salzburg Festival, where the company supports young musical talent through the Nestlé and Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award.

Nestlé first launched Nestlé Needs YOUth in Europe in 2013, and pledged to create 20,000 job opportunities for young people there by 2016. In February, Nestlé announced the initiative’s global rollout starting in Mexico.

In the Americas Nestlé needs YOUth will reach more than 900,000 young people over the next three years. Nestlé will hire 24,000 new recruits, open over 7,000 apprenticeship, internship and traineeship positions and implement readiness-for-work programmes to reach over 870,000 people.

“At Nestlé we are looking to not only feed new generations, but also help prepare them to enter the professional world, and improve their chances of a better future,” said Laurent Freixe, Nestlé Executive Vice President, Head of Zone Americas.

Last year Nestlé expanded Nestlé Needs YOUth in Europe to create the Alliance for YOUth, an alliance of leading companies committed to tackling youth unemployment by offering experience and internships, which created 50,000 job and training opportunities in its first year.

“Alliance for YOUth companies are committed to working hand-in-hand with policy makers to address youth unemployment and foster both job employability and job creation,” said Luis Cantarell, Nestlé Executive Vice President, Head of Zone Europe, Middle East and North Africa.

Wan Ling Martello, Nestlé Executive Vice President, Head of Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa, said that developing young talent was integral to Nestlé’s regional business strategy in that region, where Nestlé hired 4,500 permanent staff under 30 in 2014, 1,862 apprentices and 860 trainees.

“Over the years we’ve been investing our time, effort and resources on hiring young people from universities and colleges,” Ms Martello said. “Developing them over time through training and coaching, and exposing them to different challenges to ensure they have successful careers.”