McDonald’s in the US is investing in the next generation of workers, aiming to help two million young people overcome barriers to employment. The move follows the results of the Workforce Preparedness Study, a survey of over 6000 young Americans, which found that skills such as conflict management, teamwork and customer service were disproportionate to the demand for workers with those skills.
“Around the world, too many young people are finding that, through no fault of their own, there are barriers to entry into the workplace. We believe this needs to change,” said McDonald’s executive vice president and chief people officer David Fairhurst. “We will leverage our scale for good and help these young people to develop the core workplace skills they need to get a job and the opportunities they need to kick-start their career and achieve their true potential—whether at McDonald’s or elsewhere.”
The company is donating millions of dollars to work skills programmes across the country, and has joined the Global Initiative on Decent Jobs for Youth – part of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
