In 2013, Nestlé launches Nestlé needs YOUth initiative focused on young people under the age of 30. It aims to help young people gain access to apprenticeships, traineeships and job opportunities – empowering them with skills they need to thrive either in our business or as future farmers trained in regenerative agriculture.

It has become a global phenomenon – a movement that has united, empowered and enabled over five million young people since inception. The initial target was to help ten million young people access economic opportunities by 2030, but it was met in 2024, six years early.

This initiative targets three distinct focus areas. The first pillar, launched in 2013, focused on Employment and Employability, and was intended to enhance the job prospects of young people amid the worsening global financial crisis. That mission continues: we aim to empower youth through training, internships, apprenticeships and other work-based learning experiences that help them thrive in the workplace.

The second pillar focuses on Entrepreneurship. We empower young people to learn new skills, test an idea or grow their business – to help shape the future of food through our digital platform, the Nestlé Youth Entrepreneurship Platform (YEP) and external partnerships such as UNESCO.

The third pillar is Agripreneurship. We want to make farming more attractive to young people and to inspire more entrepreneurial farmers, who we call ‘agripreneurs’, in our value chain and those of peers. We’re encouraging young people to create livelihoods as farmers, to run their farms as businesses and embed regenerative agriculture methods in support of a just transition to regenerative food system.

We are working with other organizations to help millions of young people around the world find a job, thrive in the workplace or start a business through The Global Alliance for YOUth initiative. Led by Nestlé, the alliance of 25 like-minded companies provides training, nurtures young entrepreneurs, and offers first job opportunities.