'You're Hired': How Yum! Brands Is Preparing Tomorrow's Global Workforce

The world's largest restaurant company has prioritized career readiness, working with local charities to unlock job opportunities for youth, both inside and outside of Yum!'s restaurants, to ensure a brighter future for all.

Yum! Brands

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / November 21, 2024 / Yum! Brands is the parent company of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill, so it knows how to craft craveable food and memorable customer experiences. Today, the world's largest restaurant company is also training young people for their career journeys in the communities Yum! serves, whether that's with Yum! or another company. From resume writing to interview prep, Yum! wants them to hear two magic words: "You're hired."

With its franchisees, Yum! and its brands employs over 1 million people, many of them young and for whom a job at KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and Habit Burger & Grill is their first. Studies show that a first job can open a variety of career pathways and even create a ripple effect across an entire community, improving lives of family members and others who receive the benefits of a consistent salary.

Throughout its 27-year history, Yum! has recognized the importance of the first job and supported career readiness programs. In 2020, Yum! announced a $100 million investment called the Unlocking Opportunity Initiative (UOI), which was organized globally but implemented locally by partnering with organizations in many of the 155-plus countries and territories in which the company operates. Career readiness was one of the ways Yum! committed to giving back through UOI.

"Yum! is known for taking care of its people, both in front of and behind the restaurant counter," said Yum! Impact & Communications Manager Kat Abner. "We believe everyone, especially youth, deserve to work at a job they love and that helps them achieve their future career goals. UOI has served as a catalyst to build a community impact movement across our company, and I am encouraged and inspired by it and other Yum!- and brand-sponsored programs that are making a difference for youth around the world."

Here's how Yum! is preparing tomorrow's workforce worldwide.

The United States of Next

A first job can open many doors, and for those working in the U.S. restaurant industry, that could be restaurant ownership. According to the National Restaurant Association, eight out of 10 restaurant owners started their careers in a restaurant entry-level position, and for a handful of California students, they're taking steps toward that career path with a little help from Habit Burger & Grill.

This year, they spent two months developing a restaurant concept, complete with a business plan that included a budget, restaurant design and marketing plans, and then pitched their concept to industry professionals at the California Restaurant Association's ProStart Student Invitational. For the past three years, the Habit Burger & Grill has sponsored teams, and in 2024, the team from the Orange County School of the Arts took home the top prize with their concept called Teddy's.

"The creativity, talent, and dedication these young chefs bring to the table is seriously inspiring," said Jason Triail, director of Culinary Innovation at Habit Burger & Grill. "I can't wait to swing by Teddy's for a bite someday!"

Yum! Brands is also preparing young people for careers in Kentucky through a program called Cardinal Bridge Academy (CBA), which prepares high school students in the company's hometown of Louisville for their next step. According to the U.S. Department of Education, individuals with a bachelor's degree earn 84% more in salaries than those with only a high school diploma, so CBA equips participants with skills like resume writing, interview preparation and more to ensure that doors are opened for them.

CBA participant Corey Garner, who was mentored by Yum! Brands and KFC employees, said in a University of Louisville article, "I learned that employers are looking for hardworking and dedicated people to help their businesses. Having this type of information is going to help me find success with my future employers."

In South Africa, It's Pronounced Lead-HER-ship

In 2021, Pizza Hut South Africa partnered with YES4Youth, a not-for-profit organization, to launch LeadHERship, to provide women, ages 18 to 24, with an employment pathway.

"Why women, and young women in particular? This particular segment of our society has been facing a cycle of inequality that we desperately want to break," said Social Purpose Lead for LeadHERship Marlene Von Berg. "They make up 70% of our country's unemployed youth."

That 70% statistic stems from several factors. Some South African women face barriers to pursue a secondary education, experience high transportation costs that prohibit them from attending job interviews, live in communities that lack enough jobs to support their growing populations and must choose between being the family caregivers and pursuing jobs outside of their homes.

Enter LeadHERship, a 12-month program that trains female participants through online courses and hands-on work experience. LeadHERship pays them to attend classes, so students can support themselves and their families during this time. At the end, graduates leave with a resume, reference letter and certificate of completion, making them twice as likely to land a job.

"When I received my first paycheck, I promised my mom that I will build her a house one day and take my little brother to school. It's just a matter of time," said LeadHERship participant Masibulele N.

A Real Euro Vision

Young people are at the heart of KFC - on both sides of the counter - so when the brand discovered that the United Kingdom youth unemployment rate was 12.7%, compared to 4.3% for the nation, it knew it had to act. In 2022, KFC United Kingdom & Ireland (UKI) created the Hatch employability programme in partnership with the nonprofit UK Youth. Their goal: By 2030, have one-third of all new KFC hires be young people who've faced barriers to employment. Hatch has since trained over 730 16- to 24-year-olds, who have gone on to pursue successful careers in KFC restaurants and in other industries like media and childcare.

Then, in 2023, KFC UKI launched a new program called the Kentucky Club with Bauer Academy. The inclusive members club welcomes youth from all backgrounds to take part in in-person and online workshops that cover professional development, resume writing, interview skills and more. As Bauer Academy is the training arm of a media company, participants have the opportunity to explore media careers and to sharpen their digital skills.

In France, KFC has collaborated with the École de la 2e Chance (E2C) in a similar endeavor and has helped more than 500 youth gain valuable, on-the-job training in KFC restaurants since the partnership formed in 2022. KFC France is the first quick-service restaurant brand to partner with E2C, and in 2024, KFC France and E2C launched a first-of-its-kind specialized training pathway for youth interested in the restaurant industry. The secret recipe of this partnership's success? Many of E2C's youth learning centers are located near KFC restaurants, making hands-on learning and mentorship even easier and more accessible for students.

Will these youth get hired? YEP!

Pizza Hut is helping Sri Lankans find jobs. The nation's youth, ages 15 to 24, often lack the required experience to land a job, resulting in an unemployment rate of 25%. The brand hopes to change that and has created the Youth Enablement Program (YEP) in partnership with its franchisee, Gamma Pizzakraft Lanka, the Sevalanka Foundation, UOI and United States Agency for International Development.

Participants come from mainly low-income households, so YEP provides transportation and housing stipends. Almost all graduates land jobs thanks to their newly obtained National Vocational Qualification 4 certificate, which prepares them to work in quick-service restaurants in Sri Lanka and other countries.

"At Pizza Hut, we have a strong commitment to inclusivity and have enabled many young individuals with disabilities to find gainful employment and the financial independence they dream of," said Amar Raj Singh, chairman and CEO of Gamma Pizzakraft in an Ada Derana article.

Now in its third year, the program is estimated to graduate 2,300 students annually.

Career Prep for the Future

From the United Kingdom to South Africa, Yum! works hard so that young people can, in turn, work hard. These career readiness programs can be life-changing, breaking the inexperience cycle in which a young person is rejected from a job because of a lack of experience. But that person can't get experience without a job, which is why the company continues to lean into this area, and by the end of 2024, thousands will have participated in a Yum!-sponsored job training program. The company hopes to increase that number next year.

"Our youth participants learn time management, accountability and adaptability, in addition to on-the-job practical skills," said Abner. "These are necessary skills for their first job and will carry them throughout their careers."

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Yum! Brands on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:
Spokesperson: Yum! Brands
Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/yum-brands
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Yum! Brands