West Yorkshire Mayor Sees Coca-Cola's Commitment to Local Jobs and Skills

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin visited Coca-Cola Europacific Partners' (CCEP) Wakefield manufacturing site, where she saw firsthand how the company is contributing to local employment and skills development. The site, which produces soft drinks on a massive scale, directly employs 600 people, including 27 apprentices.

CCEP's new Counter Cultures campaign celebrates the people and businesses behind Britain's food and drink industry, highlighting stories of those who have built careers in their local communities. Mark and Lewis Baker, father and son, work as Reliability Engineer and Utilities & Facilities Apprentice respectively at Wakefield, and their story features prominently in the campaign.

Research shows that 58% of Gen Z in the UK are considering vocational careers, with over half (52%) thinking about following in their families' footsteps. A similar number (47%) are choosing to build careers closer to home, a trend particularly strong in Yorkshire where a third of respondents (33%) said they've noticed more young people staying local rather than moving away.

CCEP's Wakefield site has invested £103m in operations since 2019 and is also introducing new technology, such as Spot, a robotic inspection dog developed by Boston Dynamics. This supports maintenance teams by monitoring almost 600 inspection points across seven production lines, collecting real-time data without interrupting production.

Katharine Duncan, Wakefield Site Director at CCEP, said: 'Showing Tracy around our Wakefield site meant she could see the community spirit of our team first-hand. Many colleagues have worked here for years, building friendships and taking pride in what they do.'