McDonald’s UK & Ireland is to offer 2,500 paid placements to young people across the country in the first year of what it describes as “the nation’s largest in-person work experience programme”.
The scheme has been designed to tackle the root causes of rising youth unemployment and comes with almost one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Facilitated by McDonald’s franchisees, the programme will focus on communities where access to opportunity is lowest, with a target for 25% of placements to be offered to young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.
Over the five-day work experience placement, participants – who will be over the age of 16 – will gain hands-on experience in key restaurant operations to learn how a business functions.
All participants will perform their role, which will include tasks such as inventory checks, drive-thru operations and customer service, under the guidance of an experienced member of the restaurant crew.
The programme also looks to help participants build their knowledge on interview techniques and time management skills.
New research by the fast food chain found that while 80% of young people who are in education, employment or training say they have something positive to offer society, this falls to 57% among those who are NEET.
Meanwhile, 67% of young people say they would love to do work experience but there are not enough opportunities to do so. Some 69% said the lack of work experience in their local area was a major barrier, while 61% said they were not able to afford to do unpaid work experience.
“At McDonald’s, we believe in the potential and ability of young people and want to help them make it,” said McDonald’s UK & Ireland CEO Lauren Schultz. “With over 100,000 employees under 25 across the UK, we have the reach to make a real difference and are uniquely positioned to open doors at scale.
“Everything a young person needs to learn about the world of work, from communication to financial skills, can be mastered at McDonald’s. By helping thousands gain this exposure and build confidence, we are creating a genuine pathway into employment and demonstrating the transformative power the hospitality sector can have on our national workforce.”
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