29 February 2016
By Bryan T. Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Ireland’s leading retail wholesaler Musgrave Group, food and beverage company Nestlé and leading consumer goods company Unilever, Cork are three of 30 companies participating in Ireland’s ‘Skills for Work Week’ from today, Monday 29th February to Friday 4th March 2016. Activities will take place in Musgrave Supervalu, Tramore Road, Cork; Unilever Carrigaline Cork, and representatives from Musgrave Group will host a number of skills seminars in Youthreach education centres across Cork.
Overall almost 1,000 young people will have the opportunity to gain the skills they need to get back to work in 43 locations across Ireland during Skills for Work Week 2016. This is the third year of the initiative and will involve food and grocery companies and food service providers throughout Ireland providing free pre-employment skills for young people under 24 years.
Musgrave Group, Nestlé and Unilever will be providing an array of different skills workshops and events throughout the week in their Cork locations. Participants will benefit from interview skills classes, along with a helpful lesson in CV and application forms. There will also be a thorough overview into a promising career in the grocery sector, together with onsite tours.
New to the Skills for Work Week 2016 programme is a partnership with Youthreach, a Department of Education and Skills official education, training and work experience programme for early school leavers aged between 15 and 20 years old. Over 20 Youthreach centres across Ireland will take part in Skills for Work Week 2016, where company representatives will host seminars with groups of 30 young people in each Youthreach centre, giving advice and interactive learning sessions about CV skills, interview techniques, skills training and personal development to the young students.
Declan Carolan, General Manager, ECR Ireland said; “Skills for Work Week is a great example of how the food and grocery industry can collaborate to enhance the skills of young job seekers in Ireland and better prepare them in their quest for work. Throughout Skills for Work Week, the young people involved will have CV and interview sessions with HR managers as well as site tours and demonstrations to help them develop their employability skills and improve their chances of getting a job. We are also delighted to have the involvement of Youthreach this year, facilitating key skills seminars with local company representatives and local young jobseekers.” he said.
Companies signed up for Feeding Ireland’s Future 2016 include some of Ireland’s leading names in the grocery industry; BWG Foods, Coca Cola, Danone, Heineken, Irish Distillers Keelings, Kellogg’s, Musgrave Group, Nestlé, Topaz and Unilever are all involved. Please see the full list below.
The Skills for Work initiative, which is the first of its kind in Ireland, is being promoted by ECR Ireland, with the support of its members, in partnership with the Department of Social Protection through its Intreo service.
