Hundreds of youth and women are ready to deliver high standards of professional service after receiving training in customer service excellence, communication skills and a service mindset through a partnership between Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Ethiopia and the Tourism Training Institute.

A total of 400 participants from different walks of life attended the “We Serve” training aimed at helping them to take their customer service skills to the next level.

Nigus Alemu, Public Affairs, Communication and Sustainability Director at CCBA in Ethiopia said the company’s aim was to create greater shared opportunity for the business and the communities it serves across the value chain.

“Opportunity is more than just money, it’s about a better future for people and their communities everywhere on the African continent.

“We understand that our business can only thrive when the communities we serve thrive too. Investing in communities ensures our business sustainability and this is why we have made economic inclusion one of the pillars of our sustainability strategy.

“We define economic inclusion as opening gainful economic opportunities to under-served communities by providing access to markets that boost income and yield decent and sustainable earnings, while leveraging the business and the industry.

“We intend to embed economic inclusion across our value chain and make it part of how we do business the right way.

“As part of our economic inclusion framework, our employability programmes focus on initiatives that up-skill, re-skill or provide other opportunities that enhance the target group’s prospects of finding sustainable employment.

“The success of these programmes will be defined by the extent to which we boost income, unlock earnings potential, and improve skills, and business knowledge for our target groups, resulting in access to economic opportunities,” said Alemu.

“The We Serve training we have provided with the Tourism Training Institute is a good example of the way in which we help to equip young people for success in the world of work.

“Whether donating money, our time or our expertise, we take our responsibility to the communities we call home seriously.”