McDonald’s India – North and East has provided employment to more than 1,500 young people across Delhi NCR through its initiative, ‘McDonald’s for Youth’. The programme, run in partnership with local NGOs and community groups, is helping young individuals from Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad and Faridabad take their first step into the formal workforce.
The focus is on youth empowerment and inclusive growth, especially for those from less privileged backgrounds. Participants are not only given jobs but also trained to develop confidence, workplace readiness, and long-term career pathways.
Using McDonald’s global training curriculum, the programme delivers structured learning in areas such as customer service, communication, restaurant operations, cash handling, food safety, hygiene, teamwork, and professional development. These skills are designed to be transferable across the wider service sector, ensuring that participants gain employability beyond McDonald’s itself.
Since its launch, McDonald’s for Youth has grown beyond Delhi NCR into several Tier 1 and Tier 2 markets, including Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. The program is now increasingly focused on local catchment outreach, where teams and NGO partners engage directly with nearby villages and communities. This approach has helped raise awareness about structured job opportunities and encouraged more young people to join the formal workforce.
Working closely with grassroots organisations, McDonald’s has been able to connect with youth who may otherwise have limited access to employment pathways. The initiative has not only created jobs but also built confidence and workplace readiness among participants, strengthening the service-sector talent pool across multiple states.
By combining employment opportunities with skill-building, the initiative contributes to India’s broader growth story. It strengthens the service sector workforce while giving young people practical exposure to professional environments.
Following the successful completion of this phase, McDonald’s India – North and East plans to scale the programme further.
According to Rajeev Ranjan, managing director, McDonald’s India – North and East, “At McDonald’s India- North and East, we believe the youth deserves the opportunity to grow, learn, and discover their potential. Through ‘McDonald’s for Youth,’ we work with like- minded organisations, and have supported over 2,500 young individuals in taking their first steps into the workforce”.
Rajesh Soundararajan, director, Katha, “Through our partnership with McDonald’s, we have been able to connect youth with meaningful first-job opportunities, helping them build confidence, financial independence, and workplace readiness. We remain committed to supporting their long-term growth and ensuring this initiative continues to create impact at the grassroots level.”