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McDonald’s, the burger chain giant, has just announced 8,000 new full and part time jobs across the UK in the next three years. The announcement comes as McDonald’s hits the grand old age of 40 in the United Kingdom.

The good news for young people is that around 7 in 10 of the new jobs will be going to first time workers and applicants under the age of 25, meaning that approximately 5,600 new positions will be created by McDonald’s for the demographic before the end of 2017.

A new report by the company called ‘Serving the UK: McDonald’s at 40’ highlights some of the positive moves the company has made in its first four decades of trading in the United Kingdom. The report estimates that since it first came to these shores in 1974, McDonald’s, through direct employment, franchisees and supply chain, has supported the creation of over 1.5 million UK jobs.

And these are no dead-end jobs - the report also shows that 95% of restaurant managers at McDonald’s started out life as crew members at the company. It also features the following impressive stats about their employment record for young people in the UK:

• Since 2006, McDonald’s has awarded 55,000 qualifications including almost 20,000 GCSE maths and English equivalents

• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of McDonald’s part-time workers are in full or part-time education, and 68% rely extensively on their wages from McDonald’s to fund their studies

• One third of people who join McDonald’s after finishing school at the age of 16 or 17 remain with the business for five years or more to pursue a career.

• Around 19,930 maths and English qualifications have been achieved.

• 16,608 Apprentices have qualified with an Intermediate Apprenticeship in Hospitality and Catering and a further 3,400 employees are currently studying towards one.

• Almost 8,500 employees have achieved a Level 3 Diploma in Shift Management that is equivalent to an A level.

• There have been 130 graduates of the ‘Foundation Degree in Managing Business Operations’ programme since 2010, with a further 20 Business Managers and Franchisee Supervisors currently studying.

Speaking on the reports findings, Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer of McDonald’s in the UK, Jez Langhorn, said: “We have worked hard over our 40 years to be a good employer, and this report shows that as well as helping tens of thousands of people to progress in their careers at McDonald’s, people who have learnt and studied with us, also learnt broader skills such as teamwork, communications and developed a newfound confidence, that helps them get on in life.”

“I’m proud of the industry-leading portfolio of training and qualifications we developed, from Ofsted-inspected apprenticeships, maths and English qualifications equivalent to GCSEs to our foundation degrees. These skills and qualifications remain with our people throughout their careers, whether they stay with us or move to pastures new. Looking to the next 40 years, our people will remain at the heart of our business, and we’ll continue to provide good jobs with great career prospects,” added Mr Langhorn.

By the time the 8,000 new McDonald’s jobs are filled, the fast food chain will employ over 100,000 people at more than 1,200 restaurants across the United Kingdom, making it one of largest private sector employers in the nation. Around 70,000 of those positions will be held by young people aged between 16 and 25 years.

You can find out more about a working life at the burger chain in our company profile for McDonald’s and you can also apply for crew member jobs all over the UK through the e4s website.