This article was originally written for and published by Foodservice Consultant, FCSI’s (Foodservice Consultants Society International) trade magazine, for which Marius writes a monthly column.
Hey Young World,
Last month, I read with interest that McDonald’s will roll out 2,500 paid work experience placements for young people across the UK, with a significant portion aimed at those most at risk of falling out of education and employment. It is, at first glance, a positive development. A large employer using its scale to create accessible entry points into the labour market is something the hospitality industry has historically done well.
And yet, it also raises a more complicated question: not whether young people should be given opportunities (they should), but what kind of opportunities we are actually offering.
Hospitality has long functioned as a first step into work. For many, it is where you learn how to show up, how to deal with pressure, how to interact with strangers. These are not small things. In that sense, initiatives like this can be genuinely valuable, especially for those who might otherwise struggle to get a foot in the door.
At the same time, the industry has, in some places, shifted toward a model that relies heavily on very young workers. In the Netherlands, for instance, it is common to see restaurants, fast food outlets, and supermarkets staffed largely by teenagers. On one hand, this creates opportunities. On the other, it introduces a set of tensions that are harder to ignore. Service, while often friendly, can become inconsistent or amateurish. More importantly, there is the question of cost: younger workers are, in many cases, significantly cheaper to employ. What begins as an opportunity can, over time, become a business model.
Creating opportunities
This is where the line becomes blurred. A work placement designed to lower barriers to entry is one thing. A system that structurally depends on low-paid, inexperienced labour is another. The difference between the two is not always visible on the surface, but it matters.
That is also what makes McDonald’s initiative interesting. Large chains are among the few operators with the systems, scale, and training capacity to make early work experiences meaningful rather than purely transactional. They can, in theory, provide structure, guidance, and progression, turning a first step into a real path. Whether that potential is realised is another question.
For the rest of the industry, the takeaway is not to copy the model, but to think about it more carefully. If hospitality continues to position itself as an entry point for young people, it also carries a responsibility, to not just offer access, but to ensure that what follows is worth accessing. A first job sets a tone: it shapes expectations of work, of employers, and of oneself. If that experience is purely functional – low-paid, low-skilled, and easily replaceable – then the industry risks reinforcing the very precarity it claims to address.
One Love,
Marius | 1520