2 Sisters Food Group has welcomed Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s £2billion to fund the creation of a wave of new jobs for young people.
The Kickstart Scheme will help fund hundreds of thousands of high quality six-month work placements.
They will be aimed specifically at people aged 16 to 24 who are on Universal Credit and are deemed to be at risk of long-term unemployment, and 2 Sisters said it would like to speak to all potential recruits in the 18-24 year-old age bracket.
The news comes as the business currently has 300 jobs available at its UK poultry business, the majority of roles of which are spread across its two large processing sites in Scunthorpe in Lincolnshire and Willand in Devon.
The current pandemic has brought multiple challenges for the business, including an initial surge in demand for products, combined with a higher-than-usual absence rate due to the number of colleagues who need to be shielding or self-isolating, therefore creating an urgent need for extra workers.
Ranjit Singh Boparan, President of Boparan Holdings, said: “The Chancellor is right when he says the UK cannot afford a lost generation because of the coronavirus crisis. The fall-out of this crisis will hit vulnerable young workers harder than other age groups, so my business is well-positioned to help at our sites which have vacancies.
“We understand that the Kickstart scheme is an initial six-month placement, but this is not to say there wouldn’t be further opportunities for those starting out on their careers to develop themselves and stay at the business.
“We have a great track record for training our people with many success stories of personal development from shop floor to senior management, so we’d really like to hear from as many people as possible.”
Holly Mumby-Croft, the MP for Scunthorpe, added: “I’m very pleased to see the Chancellor’s job-creating plans taking effect so quickly in Scunthorpe. 2 Sisters’s decision to open up a range of placements, including those in high-skilled and leadership positions, will provide great opportunities for young people in our area.”