McDonald's has pledged to provide 43,000 apprenticeships across Europe as part of a new initiative called Youth Opportunity, with the goal to reduce barriers to employment for two million young people by 2025, reports RTTNews. “The apprenticeships combine workplace training and study, enabling people to gain practical work experience and new skills that will last a lifetime - all while earning money at the same time,” the company stated. McDonald’s noted that the apprenticeships will be offered in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Switzerland, with the aim of expanding apprenticeships to other markets in the future. Through this pledge, McDonald's is also joining the European Alliance for Apprenticeships to help promote and improve access to vocational training for young people. In the UK, McDonald's said it has helped more than 18,500 qualified apprentices to learn on the job over the past 12 years.