Gloucester's Unilever ice cream factory in Gloucester is opening its doors to young people in the local area with the new 'I'm Wall's' traineeship programme.

The traineeship is for young people aged 18 or 19, and up to the age of 24 if they have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP), who are unemployed and have limited work experience and qualifications.

Working in partnership with training and recruitment specialist Smart Training & Recruitment, it aims to support young people to gain the confidence, skills and experience they need to start building their career and find long-term employment.

As part of the Wall's mission to inspire happiness in communities across the UK, the new Gloucester I'm Wall's programme is aimed specifically at supporting the community local to Unilever's Gloucester factory, where Wall's ice creams, such as Twister, Cornetto and Magnum, have been made for over 60 years.

The I'm Wall's traineeship begins with four weeks of upfront training provided by Smart Training & Recruitment. Trainees will develop their employability, maths, English and digital skills to enhance their career prospects.

Trainees will then be partnered with a mentor in the Gloucester ice cream team and spend four weeks gaining hands-on experience in the factory, with the opportunity for successful candidates to be offered a paid summer placement and longer term employment.

In the Unilever Gloucester factory, where over 20 million ice creams are made every week, trainees could be working across a variety of roles, including supporting the technical engineering team to ensure the production lines are running smoothly, in the quality team ensuring every ice cream leaving the factory is as delicious as the last or working in the factory operations team to pack the ice creams up ready to be sent to shops across the UK and Europe.

Andrew Cummings, factory director, Unilever Gloucester ice cream factory, said: "As the makers of some of the most popular ice creams in the UK, our team here in Gloucester is helping to create small moments of happiness every day. Gloucester has been the home to Wall's ice creams since 1958, so supporting our local community is an important part of our mission to spread happiness.

"It's been a tough year, and an especially tough year for young people finding it difficult to get into work. My hope is that I'm Walls can provide optimism and a clear pathway to work for local young people.

"Our traineeship is made specifically to support that first step into an entry level role and will equip the trainees with the skills and confidence to find long-term employment, be that with us or elsewhere.

"This is our first year of the programme, but our ambition is for it to continue to grow, as we welcome in and start training up the next generation of leaders of the factory. If this sounds like an opportunity to for you, or someone you know, then get in touch."

The I'm Wall's programme is part of Unilever's commitment to boost social mobility in the UK and to support young people from all backgrounds to gain the confidence and experience to find long-term sustained employment.

To find out more about the I'm Wall's traineeship or to apply for the programme, applicants should email smarttrain@smarttar.co.uk.