4H want to improve the financial, business and work life skills of young people through training and education, and to help them find summer jobs for at least two weeks after they finish 9th grade. The jobs are offered by corporations, municipalities, communities and households.
“It is important for K Group to provide access to work to as many young people as possible by offering them summer jobs. This collaboration brings together our retailers and the young people looking for a job in their area. We are happy to continue the collaboration with 4H and to promote the employment and the work and business skills of young people,” says Visa Myllyntaus, who is charge of recruitment at K Group.
The trading sector employs nearly 300,000 people in Finland each year, and it is also one of the biggest providers of summer jobs for young people. It offers meaningful tasks and gives the summer employees a comprehensive introduction to various aspects of working life, from grocery trade to customer service to running a business.
“The first job is the most important one for young people, and it provides them with experience that carries over long into the future. The trading sector is a good place for young people to learn the basics of working and becoming part of a working community, taking responsibility for their work,” says Anu Parviainen, Development Manager focused on youth employment at 4H.
The Finnish 4H Federation is one of the biggest youth organisations in Finland. It offers young people between the ages of 13 and 28 work and business related training, and finds employment to thousands every year. K Group is a natural partner for 4H, especially in the “Ysit töihin” initiative, which aims to find work for young people finishing comprehensive school.
In the collaboration between 4H and K Group, K-retailers across the country take part in training aimed at young people and covering topics such as applying for a job, rules of working life, and employee rights and duties. The collaboration enables K-retailers to reach some 4,000 young people and offer them an employer’s perspective on what is it like to run a business, how you can become an entrepreneur, and what retailers expect from their employees. The training also covers good customer service and managing your personal finances.
For K-retailers, the collaboration provides an opportunity to get to know the local 15 and 16 year-olds and connect with potential summer employees who are motivated and understand the basics of working life.
“Every year some 50,000 people finishing comprehensive school look for their first summer job. Together, we work towards the vision of every young person finding a summer job, sometimes with the help of their local 4H,” says Parviainen.
The “Ysit töihin” initiative sees pupils in the ninth grade take part in a training provided by 4H, which teaches them the basics of applying for work, rules of working life, and customer service. Once they have finished the training, the participants can find work through 4H.
The initiative covers 87 municipalities in 2021, with support from 62 local 4H associations. It reaches 16,000 teenagers finishing comprehensive school, which is one-third of the age group. In 2020, some 6,000 teenagers took part and nearly 2,800 – or 45% – found a job. The figures are expected to be even higher this year, as the number of participants is nearly three times higher. K Group has participated in the initiative since 2019 and will become its main sponsor this year.
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