The manufacturer helped young people with interview skills, CV preparation, work experience and factory tours in 29 sites from Scotland to Cornwall.
The company said the scheme offered young people a great opportunity, and there were “endless opportunities” in roles for engineering, quality, new product development, customer services and many more.
2 Sisters head of talent Jenni Chambers said: “Our Skills for Work Month offered young people a great opportunity to have a go and get stuck in. The most sustainable way to get the talent you want is to cultivate it yourself. 2 Sisters Food Group recognises this, and we are continuously developing our talent plans across the business.
‘Have a go and get stuck in’
Young people were encouraged to quickly progress their careers at 2 Sisters, she said. “We’ve learnt that identifying the right people first time allows their careers to grow, and we have many people that started on the shop floor now running senior teams.”
Twenty work experience placements were awarded over the past two years at 2 Sisters’ Flixton site, Suffolk. Six of those placements turned into full-time employment.
Flixton factory manager Edgaras Liepinaitis said: “I started on the chicken line and was quickly promoted to supervisor when I was only 22 years of age.”
“Flixton is like one big extended family, from senior management right through to the shop floor, and the Skills for Work Month initiative means everyone can get a stepping stone to something better.”
11,000 young people helped
The project was part of the grocery think-tank IGD’s Feeding Britain’s Future campaign, which helped more than 11,000 young people during its Skills for Work Month last year.
IGD chief executive Joanne Denney-Finch said: “Feeding Britain’s Future is helping to make a real impact on thousands of young people considering their future and actively seeking work. Our industry is 3.8M strong, accounting for one in seven jobs, making us the largest private sector employer; this initiative is the way in which we can support the next generation of industry talent.
“Skills for Work Month has been the core of this initiative since the launch in 2012, and over the years, companies from across the industry have engaged to help support not only their local communities but also the wider industry.”
Meanwhile, 2 Sisters staged a recruitment drive in May this year. Events were held across the East Midlands to fill dozens of roles in manufacturing, batching, packaging and warehouse and dispatching.
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2 Sisters Skills for Work Month – at a glance
- 350 learning opportunities within past month
- Helped with CV preparation, interview skills, factory tours and work experience
- Opportunities in 29 UK sites