case study


A THIRST FOR EXPERIENCE


>> Shelby Thompson


Head of Talent Acquisition – UK, Ireland, Southern Africa, Nordics & Iberia, PepsiCo


Every placement we offer is designed to be as interesting and beneficial for the participant as possible, with each student taking ownership of real projects…


GRADUATE RECRUITER 23


Figures show that the number of recent graduates out-of-work in the UK is continuing to grow – suggesting that the “Class of 2012” will require more than a degree certificate to secure the jobs for which they have worked so hard. It is one reason why leading FMCG company, PepsiCo has extended its placement scheme. Shelby Thompson, Head of Talent Acquisition – UK, Ireland, Southern Africa, Nordics & Iberia, PepsiCo, explains how research backed up the company’s belief that providing students with relevant work experience is crucial – and why other companies should follow suit.


I


t may sound obvious, but in today’s climate companies are looking for graduates who don’t just have


‘potential’, but who have already demonstrated their abilities through working in challenging, relevant industry environments. At PepsiCo we tested this theory by partnering with


YouGov to ask the nation’s business leaders what they are looking for from today’s graduates. The results revealed a dramatic change in employer expectations over recent years: Over two-thirds of business leaders polled stated that


graduates who have completed a placement year during their studies are more employable than those who have not. In addition, we found that business leaders believe there is a growing skills gap between students with a year’s industry experience and those without. In fact, those polled pointed to a number of key attributes they expect to see that made those who have undertaken year-long placements stand out, in particular “the ability to communicate professionally” (74%) and “experience of working in a team” (68%). So what do these findings mean for a company like


PepsiCo? Well, we have long believed in the importance of providing students with real, relevant work experience, and have run a fully integrated student placement programme in the UK since 1999. As a company we are passionate about providing opportunities for as many undergraduates as possible to come into our business and experience what real working life is like.


This is why we have expanded the PepsiCo student


programme in recent years, and today we offer one-year placements in our finance, IT, procurement, operations and research and development teams. In addition, we’ve recently added a three month summer internship program with the sales team and, for the first time, will be hiring marketing graduates into permanent roles. Every placement we offer is designed to be as


interesting and beneficial for the participant as possible, with each student taking ownership of real projects that have a direct impact on PepsiCo’s business. This could range from working in the research and development team to creating an innovative new product, through to optimising logistical systems in our operations division to design even more efficient ways to deliver Walkers crisps to the nation. These placements not only look great on every


participant’s CV – providing them with a crucial career advantage – but are also of huge benefit to PepsiCo as an organisation. I see on a daily basis the value that our senior leadership team places on nurturing young talent within the business. We now want to encourage other businesses in the UK


to open up their doors to allow today’s student body to gain the vital skills they need to secure employment. For us as recruiters, these opportunities provide a platform to identify and nurture new talent and to encourage our colleagues to learn from the fresh and innovative thinking students bring to business.


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