In a study published today by Populus and commissioned by Nestle, nine out of ten businesses felt young people left school ill-equipped to start work. And 62% of business leaders said only work experience could give young people the skills they need to gain employment.
"Sadly young people are stuck in a catch-22 situation," said Kendrick. "They can't get a job without experience, but can't get experience without a job. Companies need to help young people escape from this trap.
"As employers we value young people with experience, so we have to provide young people with enough opportunities to gain it."
Kendrick's comments comes as Nestle UK and Ireland announced it will create 1,900 employment opportunities for young people over the next three years, including 300 paid work experience placements.
Figures published this week by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) showed about one million young people (aged 16-24) are unemployed in the UK, while youth unemployment in Ireland is almost 30%.
The study of more than 500 young people, 250 business leaders and 250 education professionals showed 79% of teachers and 62% of students thought work experience was important to prepare young people for employment.
However, only a third of young people are given any training while on the job and only 56% have the opportunity to shadow an employee and learn about the business they were working in.
Matt Stripe, Nestle UK and Ireland's HR director, said: "The fact is, the food industry is facing a major manpower crisis which threatens its future. An ageing workforce and skills shortage means we need to attract new, young talent into the industry."
