Every year, Nestlé opens hundreds of career opportunities for students through its Management Trainee and Nesternship programmes. — Photo courtesy of the firm

HÀ NỘI — As Việt Nam accelerates its development journey towards 2045, one theme is increasingly clear: the nation’s youth will be decisive in shaping its future.

Nestlé Việt Nam has placed youth empowerment at the heart of its sustainable business strategy - backing words with action, figures, and long-term programmes that are already transforming lives across the country.

Binu Jacob, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Việt Nam and Co-Chair of VBCSD delivered a speech at the VCSF. — Photo courtesy of the firm

Addressing the recent 2025 Việt Nam Corporate Sustainability Forum (VCSF), Binu Jacob, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Việt Nam and Co-Chair of VBCSD, said: "Vietnamese youth are not only the most impacted by global challenges like climate change, but they are also the ones who will drive the businesses of tomorrow".

"That is why Nestlé is deeply committed to equipping them with the skills, opportunities, and confidence they need to thrive.”

Nestlé Việt Nam has developed a series of youth programmes, tapping into junior to senior students, from Business to Technical fields, through online to immersive on-the-job experiences such as the Nesternship Program, the Nestlé #SparkTheNext Leaders Program, and the Technical Apprenticeship Program.

In 2024 alone, these initiatives reached 14,542 young people, putting the company on track to exceed its 2025 target of 15,000. The goal is not only to help students secure jobs but also to prepare them for leadership and innovation roles in a rapidly digitalising economy.

Through mentoring and internship schemes, students gain access to Nestlé’s global expertise, bridging the persistent gap between what is taught in classrooms and what is demanded by the workplace.

Nurturing entrepreneurship and agripreneurship

Binu Jacob, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Việt Nam (centre), receives the “Enterprise for Vietnam’s Development” honorary award. — Photo courtesy of the firm

Beyond employability, Nestlé is fuelling a culture of entrepreneurship among Việt Nam’s youth. Each year, the company sponsors at least three major start-up competitions, including Hot Prize, Young Lions, Future Entrepreneurs and Start-up Vietnam.

These competitions provide aspiring entrepreneurs with resources, mentorship, and platforms to refine their ideas and test them against real-world challenges. In 2024, 60 young entrepreneurs benefited directly from Nestlé’s sponsorship, and the company has set an ambitious target of 200 by 2025.

“Supporting entrepreneurship is not just about funding competitions, it’s about giving young people the courage and networks to take their ideas forward and create value for society,” Binu added.

One of Nestlé Việt Nam’s most innovative approaches is in agripreneurship, a programme designed to attract and train younger farmers in sustainable agriculture. With Việt Nam’s coffee sector facing the dual challenge of an ageing farming population and climate change, Nestlé has turned to empowering youth as a solution.

Through workshops on regenerative coffee planting techniques, business management training, and inspirational sessions with successful agri-start-ups, the programme gives young farmers both the technical knowledge and entrepreneurial mindset needed to make farming viable again.

In 2024, 862 young farmers received training under this programme, and the target for 2025 is set at 1,000. Initiatives like the Surreal Internship x NESCAFÉ allow students and young professionals to experience hands-on agricultural projects, connecting them directly with farming communities.

Success stories are already emerging. In Đắk Nông Province, young farmers applied Nestlé’s regenerative agriculture training to expand their family’s coffee farm, improve yields, and inspire dozens of their peers to follow suit.

Similar stories are unfolding across the Central Highlands, where Nestlé’s NESCAFÉ Plan is transforming the image of farming from a backbreaking tradition to an attractive, tech-enabled career path for youth.

Aligning with national development strategies

Nestlé’s youth empowerment programmes are aligned with Việt Nam’s long-term vision to become a science- and technology-led nation by 2030, with a longer-term goal of achieving global competitiveness by 2045, in which human resources play a pivotal role.

By helping close the skills gap, support start-up ecosystems, and integrate young people into the era of AI and international integration, businesses like Nestlé play a crucial role in ensuring that Việt Nam’s global competitiveness is powered by the next generation.

At the same time, no single company can drive systemic change alone. That is why Nestlé Việt Nam has built extensive alliances with universities, NGOs, and youth organisations to amplify impact.

By the end of 2024, Nestlé had engaged with 32 universities nationwide through career fairs, webinars, and mentoring programmes. One notable partnership is with Việt Nam National University – HCM City (VNU-HCM), under the Government’s 'triple helix' model linking academia, government, and business.

Through this collaboration platform, Nestlé offers apprenticeships, joint research projects, and digital training programmes to bridge education with industry practice.

By 2024, Nestlé’s alliance programmes reached over 12,000 students and young professionals, with nine active partners. The company aims to expand this to 12 active partners by 2025.

The backbone of Việt Nam in new era

Nestlé Việt Nam’s youth empowerment programmes are not developed in isolation—they are integrated into the company’s broader sustainability commitments. For example, by 2030, over 50 per cent of its coffee sourcing will come from regenerative agriculture, a milestone that directly engages and benefits young farmers and can only be achieved with their participation.

This dual commitment reflects a simple truth: investing in young people today is the most effective way to secure a sustainable tomorrow.

Binu said: “If Việt Nam is to become a developed nation by 2045, youth must play a big role. Businesses like ours must invest in their growth, it makes business sense in the long term, and it helps secure a sustainable future for the country.”

In 2025, Nestlé will continue scaling its initiatives, aiming to reach more than 15,000 students through employability programmes, 200 entrepreneurs through start-up sponsorship, and 1,000 young farmers in agripreneurship.

At VCSF 2025, as Nestlé Việt Nam received a commemorative medal for 15 years of contributions to sustainable development, the message was clear: young people are not just the leaders of tomorrow - they are the backbone of Việt Nam’s new era. — VNS