- Study reveals Macca’s experience key for career growth -

20 January 2019: Research released today has found that 80 percent McDonald’s alumni believe their experience working in-restaurant set them up for future success by developing soft skills crucial for their careers.

Commissioned by McDonald’s Australia, the study consulted a number of Human Resources experts, as well as current McDonald’s restaurant crew, parents of current crew and alumni, to assess how successfully Macca’s is preparing its employees for their future careers.

The research findings also showed four out of five alumni felt working at Macca’s is a great way to enter the workforce, with 90 percent of respondents acknowledging McDonald’s taught them skills – both soft skills and technical skills - that were valuable for their future. The data also revealed 80 percent of alumni think working at McDonald’s improved their chances of securing their next job.

According to the Human Resource experts consulted, soft skills and work experience are no longer a ‘nice to have’, but are crucial and the primary focus for many employers. Employers want rounded skills and real people with a spectrum of abilities.

The experts also affirmed that soft skills are developed in different settings - at home, at school or in the workplace - and can be divided into four categories: instilled, base, core and future.1 This latest study found that McDonald’s is building its employees skills in each of the four soft skills categories, with a particular strength in the ‘base’ and ‘core’ pillars.

Jennifer St Ledger, Chief People Officer at McDonald’s Australia, said “At McDonald’s, we take our responsibility as Australia’s largest employer of youth seriously. We strive to provide our employees with a great first job equipping them with skills for life.

“Our crew tell us we help them develop a range of skills including communication, team work, problem solving and adaptability – all of which give them great foundations for a successful career, whether

that’s within the McDonald’s system or elsewhere.

“As employers continue to prioritise identifying candidates with great soft skills, we remain committed to providing our employees with opportunities to develop these skills,” added St Ledger.

McDonald’s offers a variety of training and development programs, including on-the-job technical and soft skills training, as well as nationally recognised qualifications through the Registered Training Organisation (RTO).

1 Soft skills categories, as determined by the experts:

• Instilled: naturally instilled in a person’s upbringing i.e. reliability, acting with integrity

• Base: needed as a basic requirement i.e. time management, organisation, team work

• Core: needed to be successful in today’s careers i.e. communication, proactivity, listening

• Future proof: important now, but will be crucial for jobs of the future i.e. creativity, proactivity, self- awareness, adaptability

  Each year McDonald’s invests more than $40 million in training crew, restaurant management and corporate staff. This training equips employees with essential skills that will serve them well wherever their future career choices take them. Parents, alumni and crew all agree that the top three skills developed at McDonald’s are communication, team work and work ethic – all of which are essential for successful careers.

  - ENDS -

  About the data

  The research consulted:

• Four experts in the Human Resources field from the banking, education, government and recruitment sectors

• 3,035 current McDonald’s employees

• 213 parents of current McDonald’s employees

• 251 McDonald’s alumni, who had left at least one month prior and started working at McDonald’s age 25 or younger

McDonald’s as an RTO

McDonald’s has been a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) for over 20 years and offers tremendous opportunities for its employees to further develop their skills for their future career. As an RTO, McDonald’s is able to offer internal training as well as nationally recognised traineeships and qualifications. Internal courses include management and barista training, while national qualifications such as Certificate II and III in Retail are also available.

About McDonald’s Australia

Australia’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Yagoona, Sydney, in 1971. Today there are over 980 McDonald’s restaurants across Australia, nearly 85 percent of which are franchised and run by local businessmen and women. The organisation employs more than 105,000 people in restaurants and corporate offices Australia- wide and is the largest employer of youth in the country. McDonald’s creates more than 3,000 new jobs each year and spends over $40 million per annum on training and people development.

For more information visit www.mcdonalds.com.au or www.facebook.com/McDonaldsAU. McDonald’s is also on Twitter – check us out at Twitter.com/maccas.