Members of the Scottish Parliament have raised a toast to the Diageo Learning for Life programme as it celebrated giving 1,000 young unemployed people in the UK life-changing training and job opportunities in the hospitality industry.
The programme aims to lower youth unemployment and support a skills boost and has had a positive impact on both the lives of young people and the hospitality and manufacturing industry. It was set up in 2014 to equip young people who are long term unemployed with skills for work in hospitality industry. Participants are trained in bar-tending, hospitality, teamwork and communication skills.
The award-winning programme has not only reached 1,000 people since its UK launch 2014, but 81% of its graduates have gone into further training or employment, with 78% securing long-term jobs.
Proud achievements at Diageo
The majority of the 21 communities where Diageo Learning for Life courses have been run are in Scotland, and the 1,000 graduate milestone was marked with a special event at the Scottish Parliament, attended by MSPs, graduates, Diageo employees and hospitality industry leaders.
Stuart McMillan, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde, hosted the celebration and paid tribute to the programme and its graduates. “The hospitality sector in Scotland is thriving and there are excellent career opportunities available to young people who have the required skills and experience, something which can be gained in abundance during the Diageo Learning for Life courses. I attended the Inverclyde graduation last year and know local graduates have successfully found employment as a result of this first class opportunity,” he said.
David Cutter, Diageo’s President of Global Supply and Procurement represented Diageo at the event and said “The Diageo Learning for Life programme is one of our proudest achievements in Scotland and the UK because of the transformational impact it has on the lives of young people. We have reached 1,000 people, equipping them with the confidence and skills to build careers and lives in the hospitality industry, and making a real different to communities the length and breadth of Scotland.”
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