Coca-Cola programme aims to support 2,000 young people in path to employment

A youth-focused programme aimed at supporting women and disadvantaged young people to return to learning or the workplace is targetting more than 2,000 people across the island of Ireland.

The Coca-Cola HBC’s YouthEmpowered programme, which is run in partnership with An Cosán and YouthAction Northern Ireland, will provide life and business skills training to participants, with a focus on those impacted by Covid-19. This year’s programme includes a Return to Learning training course in partnership with community education organisation, An Cosán. It focuses on learning digital and personal development skills over a six-week period.

“We know from recent CSO figures that young women are still more likely than their male counterparts to become long term unemployed as a result of the recent Covid-19 disruption,” said Heydi Foster, CEO of An Cosán. “This programme is designed to help participants overcome barriers to education or employment, empowering participants with the skills they need to return to learning and the confidence to re-enter the workforce.”

This is the sixth year of the YouthEmpowered programme, which has already provided free life and business skills training to more than 5,500 young people across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Coca-Cola HBC is working in partnership with YouthAction Northern Ireland to deliver the “Get Set For Work” project, which supports 16-24 year olds not in employment, education or training. It offers skills days, career guidance workshops and access to the YouthEmpowered Digital Hub. A special fund aimed at supporting young women has also been established.

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“It’s a long-term commitment for all of us in Coca-Cola HBC to support young people to build the skills they need to secure future employment and, in the current challenging environment these supports have an even bigger role to play. Over the past six years we have invested €300,000 in youth development,” said Miles Karemacher, General Manager, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland. “Through our partnerships with An Cosán and YouthAction Northern Ireland, we’re further expanding the reach of our #YouthEmpowered supports. In 2022 we are keen to support those young people, particularly young women, who were significantly impacted by the Covid pandemic.”

The initiative was welcomed by Minister for Social Protection, Community and Rural Development Heather Humphreys.

“This initiative aligns with Government’s Pathways to Work strategy which aims to remove barriers to employment through training and education,” she said. “It provides a real and tangible example of the private sector working hand in hand with the voluntary sector to support the national shared objective of driving economic growth, promoting inclusion for all and supporting young people into sustainable employment.”