By 2030, KFC aims for a third of all new hires into the business to be young people, aged between 16 and 24, who have faced barriers to employment - whether that’s because of social, economic, domestic or mental health challenges.
Through a new employability programme, ‘Hatch’, developed and delivered with leading youth charity UK Youth, KFC aims to help more young people access employment, specifically those who have been excluded from employment and training opportunities.
‘Hatch’ will help some 6,000 young people across the UK build their work skills, confidence and get their first job, through a tailored programme of 1-2-1 training, youth work, and practical work experience, with an interview at KFC on graduating from the programme.
While the number of job vacancies in the UK economy remain at record high levels, with sectors like hospitality reporting in excess of 500,000 vacancies, investment in young people’s skills and path into work is not keeping pace with the demand for workers.
Despite the positive contribution young people could bring to the workforce, a new report from UK Youth and KFC, has found that a significant lack of investment in young people’s work skills and confidence, and a growing “generation gap” between young people and employers, is fuelling the current labour and skills shortage.
KFC and UK Youth are calling on businesses and Government to give the next generation the practical tools and support they need to enter and thrive in the workplace, through programmes like Hatch.
Chronic under investment in young people
The Hatching a plan report found that despite nine in 10 (87%) employers saying it is important to them to foster young talent, employers aren’t currently investing in young people.
Practical work experience or on-the-job training (42%) is what young people say they need most from employers, but a third (37%) of employers don’t currently offer work experience opportunities to young people. That’s despite half (55%) of employers ranking practical work experience as the primary consideration when hiring.
More concerning is the finding that as many as one than one in ten (11%) employers don’t offer any support or training to young employees.
A lack of time (26%) and money (23%) were the top reasons given for not helping young people develop their work skills.
However, the research found that those businesses that invest in developing young people’s skills are likely to reap rewards in the long term, with four in five (79%) young people saying they would be more likely to choose to work for an employer who invested in developing young people’s skills; a serious consideration for businesses suffering from labour shortages.
Meghan Farren, General Manager at KFC UK&I, commented: “There are more job vacancies across Britain than unemployed people - a first since records began – but the need to foster young talent and invest in their skills and development over the long term continues to be overlooked.
“If we’re to tackle the labour shortage and provide better jobs and economic growth across the country for the next generation, then we urgently need to help young who have been excluded from education and training opportunities to find their feet and their voice in the workplace.
'Helping the next generation is an investment in the future of our businesses. That starts with employers, like us, investing in programmes like Hatch that support and empower young people, whatever their background.
'But we can’t make that change alone, we need Government to give the next generation the tools and support they need if we’re to truly unlock the potential of today’s young people.”