The Coca-Cola system employs about 1,100 people in the country and indirectly provides work for another 11,600 workers throughout Serbia
This means that for each employee we support another 10 jobs in Serbia, which is best evidenced by the impact we have on the wider environment. We have been one of the most desirable employers for years, as confirmed by AEISEC’s research. Given that we are recognised as a company that offers employees the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills, and to care about their colleagues, our hiring contests attract an extremely high number of interested people.
A problem that is recognised globally is the huge gap between skills acquired at university and those required in contemporary business. In addition to companies working together with the Ministry of Education on this problem – by enabling different work placements and education – it is vital for the entire economy that young people also take the initiative and start thinking about work before graduating from college.
According to the research of Serbia Youth Voice, which we conducted in cooperation with AIESEC and GfK, the majority of young people state that they will only begin their job search after they complete their studies, which reduces their readiness to adapt quickly to the labour market.
We are building future business leaders through our new Career from the Bottle programme, through which we employ future managers and leaders of Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia
On the basis of years of experience, our colleagues from the HR sector have confirmed that younger candidates most commonly lack initiative, resourcefulness, courage in decision-making and innovation, while they demonstrate excellent results in terms of establishing and maintaining relationships, which is also extremely important for modern business.
As such, the efforts we launched as a response to this challenging aim in two directions: on the one hand, with our long-time partners at the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Youth & Sport, and with student organisations and universities, we are working to empower students by providing them with the opportunity to gain new knowledge through practical examples; in parallel with that, we are investing in the education of talented individuals within our company.
We are also building future business leaders through our new Career from the Bottle programme, through which we employ future managers and leaders of Coca-Cola Hellenic Serbia.
Best testifying to the importance of the training we conduct and the knowledge we possess is the fact that a significant number of our colleagues from Serbia are today building successful international careers in the Coca-Cola Hellenic Group. Employees of Coca-Cola Hellenic believe in the importance of education to the sustainable development of communities.
The Government of the Republic of Serbia, through the ministries of education and youth & sport, have recently launched a series of significant initiatives that we expect to yield results soon. In the belief that only synergy among all participants can ensure the best results are achieved, we are committed to continuing to empower young people forevermore demanding jobs.