The number of jobs pledged by companies to unemployed young Londoners trained by our upskilling campaign has passed 300, with Nando’s the latest employer to offer its backing.
The pledge by Nando’s to support at least 10 jobs to trainees means that more than 300 jobless young Londoners will be given a chance to grasp the first rung of the career ladder.
Seven months ago, when we launched our £1 million Skill Up Step Up campaign in partnership with Barclays Lifeskills, we reported youth unemployment in London had soared by 55 per cent since the start of the pandemic to 105,000, despite more than 1.2 million job vacancies countrywide. Youth unemployment in the capital has since fallen to 88,700, according to latest figures.
But the problem remains the stark gap between the skills demanded by these employers and those offered by jobhunters — which is what our campaign seeks to remedy by partnering with five charities, including 2020 Change and Springboard, to upskill jobless youth.
Rob Bray, Nando’s UK and Ireland people director, said: “We are proud to offer an initial 10 jobs via the Skill Up Step Up campaign with a view to offering more as the campaign progresses. At Nando’s we have always believed helping young people from diverse backgrounds get their start in hospitality is important to helping us thrive. We look forward to continuing our work with both Springboard and 2020 Change while forging new relationships with the other campaign partners.”
Duro Oye, chief executive of 2020 Change, said: “With Nando’s pledging jobs for candidates from our I Am Change programme, this will see even more young people jump-start their careers in the hospitality industry.”
Employers that have pledged jobs include Wagamama, Ottolenghi, the Hilton group and Compass Group, which operates catering facilities at iconic London venues such as Chelsea FC and the O2.
