Sodexo Partners With Generation Success To Help Young People Achieve Career Aspirations

Generation SuccessSodexo has partnered with Generation Success to help empower 40 young people of diversity to achieve their career aspirations through a 14-month mentorship programme.

The coaches from Sodexo, who are undergoing a coaching apprenticeship, have a range of skills and expertise across facilities management and HR and through one-to-one sessions over a six-month period with their coachee, they will listen, share, review options.



Goals and expectations will be agreed, and Sodexo’s mentors will provide valuable advice and guidance on what barriers there are and what actions can be taken to overcome them.

Martin O’Rourke, Sodexo’s divisional director for Healthcare, has been involved in the Generation Success Mentoring Programme for two years and supported the development of the partnership programme with Sodexo’s HR team.

Commenting on the programme Martin said: “I’ve always felt passionate about helping people be the best they can be, and I joined the mentoring team at Generation Success because I wanted to help young adults from diverse backgrounds achieve their goals.

“I knew that Generation Success were keen to work more closely with Sodexo, and for Sodexo it’s a great opportunity to tap into young talent who may be considering a career in facilities management, or who may not have previously been aware of the breadth of roles available at Sodexo.”

James Adeleke, Founder and Director of Generation Success: “At Generation Success, we are passionate about empowering young people to be the best they can be.

“Often, the young people we work with feel that they are being held back by their diversity, and we want to play our part in helping people of colour achieve their career aspirations.

“We are proud to partner with Sodexo in the mentoring scheme not only to open up a range of career opportunities to young people that they may not previously have been aware of, but also because we know that Sodexo has a strong culture of inclusivity.”

Sodexo has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion and creating an environment where people feel that they belong and can thrive. Its established Origins employee network works to celebrate everyone’s culture, heritage and beliefs and promote equal opportunities for all. Sodexo is establishing an internal coaching programme for frontline BAME employees who feel like they would benefit from mentorship, and as part of Black History Month, listening groups for Black colleagues are being held, aimed at bringing about positive change to help more people from minority ethnic backgrounds into senior leadership and management positions.

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