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The initiatives are
being rolled out against the backdrop of finding people with the requisite
skills that meet the company’s requirement, while ensuring the sustainability
of training to unlock the potential of the youth in the region.
Scholarship and skills
for engineering talent
Nestlé established a
Technical Training Centre at its Agbara factory in Nigeria in 2011 to offer
young people multi-skilled apprenticeship and traineeship positions, which are
fully paid for by the company.
It runs an 18-month
course in electronic, mechanical and instrumentation engineering to strengthen
the professional development of the students.
The programme is open to
National Diploma certificate holders with a specialty in electrical,
electronic, mechanical or automation engineering.
It consists of eight
modules including theory and practical work based on the syllabus of City and
Guilds of London Institute, one of the world’s leading vocational education
organisations.
In the first course, all
13 graduating students gained employment, eight of them with Nestlé.
The second batch of 16
students who started in August 2013 are still studying.
The course builds on the
activities of the Swiss-Nigerian Migration Partnership – a pact to increase
vocational training signed by the Swiss Embassy in Nigeria and Nestlé.
Under this agreement,
Switzerland provides a scholarship for the top five students in each graduating
class at the Nestlé Technical Training Centre every year.
They are sent to
Switzerland for an additional four-month industrial placement.
‘Solid foundation for
the future’
Chima Uche, a Nestlé
apprentice graduate, was sent to Nestlé’s Konolfingen factory in Switzerland
for further training after completing the course.
Chima is now working at
the pressing and wrapping department at the Nestlé Agbara factory in Nigeria
since August 2013.
“I benefited from the
programme theoretically and practically and was thoroughly impressed with the
state-of-the-art equipment I was exposed to,” said Chima.
He added: “After
completing Nestlé’s apprenticeship, I believe we are equipped to take on the
world because a solid foundation has now been laid for our future”.
Chima previously studied
mechanical engineering at the Yaba College of Technology in Nigeria.
He said he decided to
work for Nestlé because of the company’s “high regards for standards and its
sound work environment”.
Gender balance is key
Nestlé is boosting youth
employment at the Nestlé Business Service in Accra, which was established in
2011.
More than half of the
150 employees of NBS Africa are young female graduates with an average age of
28.
They have a wide scope
of professional experience in the areas of human resources, sales, marketing,
finance, and engineering.
NBS offers new graduates
the opportunity to join a recognised and trusted company to help build their
careers.
Youth support at schools and colleges
In the Savanna Cluster,
Nestlé is working with the Burkinabe Institute of Arts and Crafts (IBAM) at the
University of Ouagadougou.
The partnership, which
has been running for more than four years, is focused on coaching and creating
employment opportunities for the university students.
Launch of e-Recruitment
Earlier this year, Nestlé launched its ‘e-Recruitment’ tool in
the Central and West Africa Region. The new platform makes it easier for
prospective candidates to apply for job opportunities in the region and
worldwide.
The e-Recruitment
initiative complements the graduate trainee programme, allowing the company to
train and develop new graduates with an emphasis on diversity, innovation and
growth.
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