With 2020 forcing a fundamental change to the way young people completed their education and training, Macca’s digital-first model has helped more than 1,913 Australians graduate from the McDonald’s Australia Registered Training Organisation (RTO)i, with nationally-recognised external qualifications.

Through the RTO, which currently has over 4,500 active participants, McDonald’s employees are able to complete traineeships and courses in retail and food safety.

Emma Napoli-Hala, Chief People Officer, McDonald’s Australia said: “We pride ourselves on providing our people a flexible job that’s full of training and development opportunities designed to help them make a start on their career, whether that’s with us or elsewhere.

“Since we opened our doors in Australia, we’ve seen more than 47,000 of people graduate from the McDonald’s RTO with externally recognised qualifications.

“Those who graduated in 2020 should be celebrated not just for achieving their qualification, but for their ability to adapt in an environment where face-to-face classes were no longer possible due to COVID-19 restrictions. In under a month, we moved all our training to a digital format, ensuring our people were able to complete their learning.”

Trish Russo, McDonald’s Franchisee added: “My management team and I are committed to ensuring that our employees receive training that helps them not just with their current role, but that allows them to attain qualifications they can use to build the foundations of a great career.

“The McDonald’s RTO enables us to deliver on this commitment and I’m extremely proud to be able to support over 220 of my Western Sydney employees who are currently completing a range of retail and leadership courses that will give them skills they need to develop their careers and future success. That’s something I believe is in the long-term interests of the economy.”

McDonald’s employee and Seven Hills local, Zoe Ross, who graduated from the RTO in 2020 with a Certificate III in Retail, said: “Since I started at Macca’s, I’ve had exposure to practical, on-the-job experience, as well as the opportunity to complete a number of courses through the RTO. Importantly to me, every time I’ve been involved in training, my managers have provided me with the flexibility I need to focus on those studies.

“I’m hoping to build a career in nursing, and I’m sure that I’ll draw upon this latest qualification on my journey.”

McDonald’s invests millions of dollars annually into training and development of its workforce. In addition to the learning delivered by the RTO, Macca’s offers a variety of training and development programs, including on-the-job technical and soft-skills training.

In 2019, McDonald’s Australia released research assessing how the Company prepares its employees for future careers beyond the restaurant. Findings revealed 90 percent of alumni felt McDonald’s taught them valuable skills for their future, and 80 percent believed their time at Macca’s improved their chances of securing their next job.

Breakdown of graduates by state and territory:

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For more information, please contact Mango Communications:

Leah Eastment | leah.eastment@thisismango.com.au | 0448 728 747