Tata Global Beverages participates in ‘Feeding Britain’s Future’, a nationwide campaign to tackle youth unemployment

Youngsters from and around Greenford will have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to get (back) into work when they visit Tata Global Beverages on the 24th and 30th September as part of a nationwide campaign to tackle youth unemployment.

Following the success of a pilot project in 2012, the entire food and grocery industry has launched Feeding Britain’s Future – Skills for Work Month 2013 and is helping youngsters across the UK to gain the skills they need to get into work.

Feeding Britain’s Future, led by research charity IGD, is the first initiative of its kind, giving young people access to farms, factories and stores, and firsthand knowledge of the skills needed for a career in the food industry or elsewhere.

Youngsters from the Greenford area will be attending a number of skills workshops to help them develop their employability skills and improve their chances of getting a job. As well as workshops to improve their soft skills, all participants will be taken on a tour around the premises and will have the chance to participate in interactive tea tasting sessions, to spend the afternoon with Customer Services and look behind the scenes and to learn more about the birth and legacy of the Tetley Tea Folk in Marketing, to see how the business is run and the wide range of careers available.

“We are delighted to support this initiative and look forward to welcoming the groups to our workshops where the attendees will benefit from learning more about the wider Tata Group, as well as how our business operates and meeting people from a wide range of business functions in a friendly and informal environment.”  Suzanne Watts EMEA HR Director

Last year 70 businesses participated, in 700 locations covering every region in the UK. The campaign provided 10,000 training opportunities with 98% of participants saying they felt more confident applying for a job.

This year the campaign has over 100 companies signed up and plans to offer more than 12,000 opportunities for young unemployed people across 1,000 locations nationwide.

The food and grocery industry is the UK’s biggest private sector employer providing 3.7m - or one in seven – jobs and there are a huge range of careers on offer. Young people from the Greenford area will get a chance to learn about the beverage business when they visit Tata Global Beverages this month.

Joanne Denney-Finch, chief executive, IGD, said:“The UK food and grocery industry employs 3.7 million people - making us Britain’s biggest private sector employer. With that scale comes responsibility - we have a vital role to play in tackling youth unemployment by sharing our advice and experience.

Feeding Britain’s Future is bringing the industry together to share the rules of the game with young people. We hope young people from in and around Greenford will make the most of this opportunity to develop their skills and grow their confidence.”