Fast food chain, KFC, predicts the move will help about 6,000 people get their first job, at a time when the hospitality industry is grappling with staff shortages.KFC has around 950 restaurants across the UK. Economists welcomed the pledge but said more needed to be done to keep young people in the workplace.
KFC said the programme, developed with the charity UK Youth, is intended to help tackle unemployment among young people.
The scheme, which will involve training and practical work experience, is targeted at people aged between 16 and 24 who have faced barriers to employment because of social, economic, domestic or mental health challenges.
Meghan Farren, general manager of KFC UK and Ireland, said: “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 people who have been excluded from education and training opportunities to find their feet and their voice in the workplace.”
She also expressed that a pledge like this, to support younger people, was “an investment in the future of our businesses”.
The announcement comes as a number of industries are battling with staff shortages. Hospitality firms such as pubs, bars and restaurants are among those that have been hard hit.
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