Sam Gilmour is no stranger to success. After taking up an exciting new post at Cargill’s HQ in Belgium this summer, he was then asked to speak about his Apprenticeship experience at the ‘Alliance for YOUth’ event at the European Parliament in Brussels, along with 20 other apprentices across Europe.
About Alliance for YOUth
Alliance of YOUth was set up by Nestle to enhance the employability of Europe’s young people in the face of 25 percent youth unemployment and Cargill who employ 149,000 worldwide is a founding member of the initiative.
Nearly 200 companies have joined the ‘Alliance for YOUth’ and made commitments to support the development of work-ready skills among Europe’s young people. As part of the Alliance, Cargill is committed to reducing youth unemployment by offering Apprenticeships, internships and skills training to young people, while sharing its best practices from its existing programmes.
On 15 November 2016, the Alliance for YOUth hosted a high-level policy debate on business-education collaboration at the European Parliament in Brussels. A key theme of the event was how successful Apprenticeship schemes are and what can be done to improve their appeal in order to tackle youth unemployment.
The event brought together current and former apprentices, representatives from the education and business sectors, trade unions, youth organisations and high level policy makers.
We were extremely proud that the Apprenticeship programme we collaborated on with Cargill was showcased at the event, and that Sam played such an instrumental role.
Working in partnership with Cargill offers an important example of the power of business-education collaboration – and by working together, we are able to have a stronger impact in increasing the skills and employability of young people.
Sam says: “I was nervous but this has been an amazing experience! An experience I wouldn’t have had if I didn’t do an Apprenticeship. I wanted to share my experience, things like – how I chose an Apprenticeship as didn’t feel ready for uni, how going down a vocational route was right for me, and how there are so many options. I couldn’t have asked for a better employer which the Apprentice Academy matched me with. It has given me the opportunity to thrive and to learn and develop so many new skills.”
Alliance for YOUth key facts:
• The Alliance for YOUth has delivered 115 000 job and training opportunities since 2014.
• Member companies pledge to deliver 230 000 new opportunities by 2020.
• Companies point to ‘dual learning’ as critical to support youth employment.
You can watch Sam’s story here:
For more information about the Alliance for YOUth see: