Kesko taking part in the Responsible Summer Job campaign
Kesko participates in the Responsible Summer Job 2011 campaign with 73 other organisations. The campaign challenges employers to offer more and better summer jobs to young people.
The Responsible Summer Job 2011 campaign was launched in January 2011. It is intended to raise public discussion on the importance of summer employment for young people.
A total of 74 Finnish companies are taking part in the campaign, employing some 20,000 people for the summer. The companies are committed to the principles of responsible summer employment, which are:
- meaningful work and reasonable pay
- job induction and guidance
- justice and equality
- employment contract and certificate in writing
The first job of many youths is in the trading sector
The Kesko Group annually provides a job for thousands of young people. As significant summer employers in the trading sector, Kesko and K-stores hold a special responsibility, as for many youths, a summer job in a store represents the first contact with working life.
- The first experience of working life is very important, because it gives the young person an idea of working life in general and of his or her own abilities. It is also important to introduce the young employee to the basics of working life, such as working hours and customer service, says Mikko Myyryläinen, Kesko's HRD Manager.
Kesko offers summer jobs in many divisions and recruit people representing different levels of education and age groups. The majority of jobs are in stores and warehouses. General qualifications required of applicants include customer service attitude, sales orientation and own initiative.
Scarcity of summer jobs generated the campaign
The number of summer jobs has shrunk in Finland over the last couple of years. Fewer jobs are offered and malpractice has increased.
If summer job experience remains increasingly limited, entry into working life also becomes more difficult. The results of the survey conducted for the Responsible Summer Job 2011 campaign revealed that more than one third of employers are of the opinion that youths lack knowledge of the rules of working life.
Young people with knowledge of working life and an understanding of their personal career possibilities will eventually benefit all employers.