McDonald’s in Oldham extends partnership with Upturn Enterprise to Boost Local Youth Employment

The two organisations will be working together across the Elk Mill Retail Park and High Street restaurants in Oldham, offering invaluable work experience to students and creating new apprenticeship opportunities. In addition, Upturn Enterprise has invested in a new portable van to carry out vital drop-in detached youth work around the area, including at McDonald’s Elk Mill Retail Park, all through crucial funding from BBC Children in Need.

The partnership is part of the McDonald’s Makin’ it programme, run in collaboration with BBC Children in Need. Only a few months in, it has already provided several young people who work with Upturn Enterprise with essential transferrable skills gained at work placements, helping to boost their confidence and self-esteem, and provide a pathway to long-term employment.

With youth unemployment at an all-time high, the partnership has the potential to make a real impact on the lives of young people from Oldham and surrounds. Recent successful placements at McDonald’s include:

Amaan 18, from Oldham faced significant challenges in mainstream education due to Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH) issues, leading to his expulsion and a bleak outlook on his future.

However, his story took a hopeful turn when he was referred to the Springboard Project, part of the New Bridge Group a learning provision specialising in SEMH support with career guidance and 121 bespoke tailored mentorship and support package from Upturn Enterprise, Amaan secured a Level 2 hospitality apprenticeship at McDonald’s in Oldham.

Connor, 18 from Oldham left the army due to medical reasons, found hope and opportunity through Upturn, who have guided him to an apprenticeship with McDonald’s. Now thriving with excellent training and career prospects, Connor’s inspiring journey showcases the programme’s success.

Franchisee, Darren Price, who owns and operates both Oldham restaurants, said: “Young people in Greater Manchester are facing incredibly challenging times with employment opportunities. With a vast amount of my workforce being under 25, we’ve seen first-hand the difference that access to opportunities can have on unlocking someone’s potential. We want all young people in Oldham to feel like their ambitions are achievable and they have access to support and tangible, local opportunities that will help them to make it. We’ve already seen some fantastic results since we began working with Upturn and we look forward to supporting Amaan and Connor with career progression and future placements.”

Maria Williams, Co-Founder & HRM Director at Upturn Enterprise, said: “Our collaboration with McDonald’s has continually strengthened, demonstrating the profound impact we can achieve together in creating pathways to opportunities for all. We extend our deepest gratitude to McDonald’s in Oldham and Franchisee Darren’s teams for leading by example! A big thank you to BBC Children in Need for making this happen through crucial funding!

Upturn Enterprise is committed to building a community of stakeholders, employers, and employer representatives who are passionate about recovery and creating pathways for our local talent to develop. In times of continued challenge, we want to work with those like McDonald’s in Oldham who want to embrace new pathways to work and play their part in addressing the challenges and barriers that our local young people face in getting closer to work.”

To help make a difference to local projects like Upturn Enterprise, restaurant teams across the Greater Manchester area are fundraising across the month of October and November. Monies raised will go to BBC Children in Need to fund local youth projects, like Upturn, and support young people in our communities.

Since the start of the partnership with BBC Children in Need, McDonald’s has supported more than 185 youth projects employing more than 320 youth workers and improving outcomes for over 42,500 young people. McDonald’s customers can donate to BBC Children in Need by rounding up orders at the kiosk and via the McDonald’s App.