Coca‑Cola mentoring

Coca‑Cola is committed to the development of individuals in the communities in which we operate through a range of programmes. In one such scheme, Coca‑Cola Great Britain employees have been mentoring young people aged between 14 and 19 who live near our head office in Hammersmith, London.

Staff are encouraged to offer an hour or more of their time a week with a young person living in the borough, listening to their goals, discussing their schoolwork and career plans and doing positive, fun activities together. This one-on-one time proves invaluable for the young people involved, helping them realise their educational and personal potential.

Coca‑Cola's mentoring participants

Piers Skinner, Head of Customer Management, Coca‑Cola Great Britain, was involved in Coca‑Cola mentoring schemes from 2006 to 2008. Here he discusses how the scheme works and his experiences

Q: Who did you mentor during your time on the scheme?
Piers: I have mentored two Year 8 students from local schools. I also taught rugby alongside a PE teacher for a few months, which was a very different challenge, involving 30 kids.

Q: Where do Coca‑Cola Great Britain employees meet with the young people they are mentoring?
Piers: The teenagers visit their mentors at Coca‑Cola's offices in Hammersmith. The idea is that they come into a dynamic working environment, away from school and home, where they will feel inspired to think about and discuss their long term goals and aspirations.

Did you know? Mentoring has been proven to have a positive impact on young people's lives, raising their achievements in school and in later life

Q: Why did you take part in the scheme?
Piers: I wanted to be a help to my local community, share my own working experience with them and to broaden my own skill set. I have two young children myself and jumped at the opportunity to experience working with, and helping in the development of, teenagers.

Q: How did your managers at Coca‑Cola help you to take part?
Piers: Coca‑Cola provides a supportive environment and allows you to take personal time to support the local community and charities. Another example is the Thames21 clean up.

Q: Why did you think Coca‑Cola offers the mentoring scheme?
Piers: Coca‑Cola is interested in the long term health of the communities in which it operates and its employees. A great place to work is about more than the colleagues that you have and the environment in which you work. It's about building yourself, building your skill set and helping others build theirs. Coca‑Cola has a positive attitude, supporting different opportunities for us staff to learn and develop - and I believe mentoring is one of the key ways in which we can develop.