Translations

COCA COLA promotes the inclusion of young people from impoverished communities

2. Human Rights

Diversity, equal opportunity, and fighting discrimination

Sector Food-processing

Year 2007

Country France

Transmitter

Context

Coca-Cola has been involved in the development of projects focused on the inclusion of young people. In particular, it signed an agreement with the prefecture of Bouches du Rhône, France. This was how the group implemented various actions focused on the young people from the poorest districts of Marseille, in southern France. The first project, which was based on the discovery of businesses and their environment, with a section on “job interview practicing” started on 24 November 2003.

Objectives

In France, the objective of the project has been to contribute to the inclusion into businesses of young people from impoverished communities in the department, in cooperation with four new partners - La Poste, EDF/GDF, Déthalon and Technicatome - since 2006.

APPROACH

The system which was put in place has been designed to attain three objectives:

1st objective: becoming familiar with businesses. Each week, five different students - boys and girls - aged at least 16, are supervised by a coach - a worker, technician or executive - in the factory. With this coach, they will discover the world of work in an industrial site. This action is led from November to the end of June, outside school holidays.

2nd objective: job interview practicing. About 10 young graduates (holding secondary or higher education vocational diplomas) will be given training at the factory where simulated personal and group interviews will be offered to them by the Human Resources department and Management on site.

3rd objective: becoming familiar with salespeople’s jobs. The objective of this scheme, which was implemented in 2005, is to make young people familiar with salespeople’s jobs.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMPANY PERFORMANCE

The organisation benefits from a greater recruitment potential.

Benefits

90 young people had been received by the organisation by the end of April 2006, including 34.5% (31 persons) via the action called “Job interview practicing”. This enabled young people to better understand how an organisation works and to prepare for job interviews.