Preparing young people for their professional career is the main purpose of the Global Alliance for YOUth. The Alliance, of which Nestlé is a founding member, announced today that despite COVID-19, it supported 20 million young people in 2020 with relevant training to develop the skills to find a job or start a business. This milestone was achieved thanks to the efforts of the 22 private sector corporate members. Since joining forces at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2019, these companies have already helped more than 15 million young people build skills attractive to employers through the Global Alliance for YOUth.
According to the International Labour Organization, the impact of the pandemic on young people is deep and disproportionate. Severe disruption to learning and work, compounded by the health crisis, has seen a deterioration in young peoples mental well-being. During these unprecedented times, the Global Alliance for YOUth is more committed than ever to continue to support youth by helping them acquire important digital skills, soft skills and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills. They receive career advice and get support for their entrepreneurship through the programs developed by the members of the Global Alliance for YOUth.
Laurent Freixe, Nestlés CEO for the Americas and Chair of The Global Alliance for YOUth stressed the increasing importance of working with like-minded private sector companies to maximize the impact: Young people are more than ever in need of help to enter and develop in the labor market. Corporations are key actors of measurable change in the youth employment space. Hence the importance of joining forces and working together to support youth employability and provide solutions to youth unemployment.
To date, 22 global companies have joined the Alliance: Accenture, The Adecco Group, BT, Cargill, CEMEX, Egon Zehnder, Engie, EY, Facebook, Firmenich, LOréal, Mercer, Microsoft, Nestlé, NielsenIQ, Publicis Groupe, SAP, Sodexo, Starbucks, Rockwell Automation, White & Case and Willis Towers Watson.
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