Opening Doors to Jobs

We aim to help one million people in our communities gain new skills and open doors through training, work experience and equal employment opportunities.

<h2>Opening doors to jobs</h2>

Our commitment and goals

By 2024 support youth services through every restaurant

By 2025 have supported 3,000 apprentices

By 2030 help one million people gain new skills and open doors to jobs

Delivering on our commitments

We believe in championing great people, whatever their background – and helping to open doors to skills, jobs, and opportunities. We understand that not everyone has the same start in life, so we’ve set a goal of helping one million people into training, jobs or new opportunities by 2030. To us, that’s not just a number. That’s one million lives that we can help to change for the better.

Giving young people confidence and skills

Our careers work in schools also opens up possibilities for pupils.

Through our presence in towns and cities across Ireland and the UK, we have always sought to help people access opportunities and make the most of their potential. Our Plan for Change goal to support youth services through every restaurant is taking this to a new level. By supporting young people’s emotional, educational and social development we want to give them confidence and skills that they can take forward in life and work.

Since 2006, our apprenticeship programme has supported over 20,000 employees to complete an apprenticeship, providing an opportunity to develop new skills and open up career progression opportunities in our business. In 2022, we launched our apprenticeship programme in Ireland and have ambitions to further increase diversity across our programme to enhance representation within the communities in which we serve.

In our local communities we aim to support youth services through every restaurant, making a difference to young people by giving them confidence and skills that they can take forward in life and work. Our careers work in schools also opens up possibilities for pupils.

Working with the Irish Youth Foundation

In 2022 and 2023, McDonald’s Ireland provided €200,000 in grants to the Irish Youth Foundation to run the McDonald’s Youth Opportunity Ireland programme. The programme works directly with community-based youth organisations to support disadvantaged young people between the ages of 15 and 24 who are not currently in education, training or employment. It aims to empower young people with the training and mentorship they need to access the employment market. Launched in 2022, the programme directly impacted 4,898 young people living across 25 countries in Ireland in 2022 and 2023.

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Helping 1 million people into training, jobs or new opportunities

We’re proud to be able to make a positive impact on the communities where we operate by supporting people into work. In addition to directly employing 210,000 people in Ireland and the UK, representing a mix of all ages and life stages, we run a range of programmes to help people into work. Since we launched our Plan for Change, to June 2023 these programmes helped over 180,000 people to gain new skills and open doors to jobs.

Our new digital education and skills platform, Taste for Work, launched in September 2023. Created with education experts, it aims to support the transition from school to work by providing vital skills such as communication and goal setting. Within the first eighteen weeks the campaign reached 130,000 young people in over 550 schools, many in education ‘cold spots’, including almost 20% serving special educational needs.

Expanding our apprenticeship programme

Our apprenticeships programme has already given over 20,000 people in Ireland and the UK a flying start to their careers since 2006, including 2,445 apprentices between 2018 and February 2024. Opportunities are available for every restaurant role providing access to programmes ranging from hospitality industry skills to corporate apprenticeships in finance, digital marketing, project management and data science. We’re recognised externally in national rankings and awards including the NAS Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2023, and Rate My Apprenticeship Best 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

To celebrate National Apprenticeship Week we are launching our own Apprenticeship Awards in 2024 to celebrate and recognise apprentices and mentors across the business who go above and beyond. The Awards Ceremony will take place in the Summer of 2024 to announce the winner across four categories.

To find out more about McDonald’s Apprenticeship Programme, visit our website.

We're one of Ireland's top employers

McDonald’s Ireland was recently named in the Top 150 Best Employers in Ireland , based on an independent survey commissioned by the Sunday Independent.

Our focus on great people extends to our supply chain as well. We work with over 23,000 Irish and British farmers, helping them through our Farm Forward programme to build sustainable businesses, for themselves and for the planet.

It’s not just about people who are already farmers either. By 2030, we will kick-start over 100 careers in food and farming for young people from diverse backgrounds through our McDonald’s Young Talent programme.

From crew member to team manager

Shauna joined the team in the McDonald’s Temple Bar restaurant in 2012 as one of the new restaurant’s first crew members. Starting work part-time while she was still in secondary school, Shauna continued to work in McDonald’s throughout her time in college. Rising through the ranks from crew member, Shauna now holds the title of first assistant manager. She is also currently the acting Business Manager of the Temple Bar restaurant and hopes to secure this position as the next step on her career ladder.

Shauna’s seven years in McDonald’s has taught her a range of life-skills as well as providing her with invaluable business experience. From decision making and leadership skills to business management and development knowledge, McDonald’s has had a significant impact on Shauna’s personal and professional growth.

For Shauna, working in McDonald’s is all about the people. Customer satisfaction is central to her role. She enjoys getting to know people from different backgrounds and cultures and has learned how to be a more empathetic and effective communicator as a result.

The career progression curve in McDonald’s is also a huge attraction for Shauna to remain with the company. Shauna’s long-term career aspiration is to some day become a franchisee herself! Franchisee James Perry has had a huge influence on her career and she hopes to one day follow in his footsteps and run her own restaurant.

"If somebody was to tell me five years ago that I was going to be a business manager looking after a team of 50 people, I would have said no way. McDonald’s is a great employer because it offers people opportunities and it empowers people by sending them on courses."

Shauna, Business Manager, Dublin

Inclusive and diverse

From our senior leaders to our restaurant teams, we aim to reflect the diverse communities we are part of and stand up for individuality and equality.

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