Three year Sysco Ireland – WALK partnership drives Inclusion and opportunity
Sysco Ireland has renewed its partnership with Dublin-based not-for-profit organisation WALK, signing a new three-year agreement that reinforces its long-term commitment to advancing inclusion, education, and employment opportunities for people with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism.
Driving Inclusion Through the Purpose Academy
Central to the partnership is WALK’s Careers & Employment programme, delivered through the Sysco Purpose Academy, a bespoke training programme in warehouse, logistics and transport operations based at Sysco Ireland’s Dublin distribution centre.
The six-week programme is designed to provide young adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism with real-life, practical work experience, supporting their transition towards meaningful employment.
Speaking on the partnership, Mark Lee, CEO, Sysco Ireland said,
“The renewal of this partnership reflects a shared vision between Sysco Ireland and WALK to build inclusive pathways to employment and to create lasting social impact through meaningful collaboration.
“The partnership is already delivering measurable impact, and we have welcomed two graduates of the Purpose Academy into warehouse roles, marking an important step from training into sustained employment. We look forward to continuing to grow this partnership, expanding opportunities and deepening the impact we can make together.”
Hands-On Training and Real-World Experience
Delivered one day per week, the programme is led by Sysco’s experienced learning and development team, with expert guidance from the WALK Careers & Employment team. Participants receive hands-on training across a range of core logistics functions and essential employability skills, including Health & Safety, Manual Handling, Food Safety, warehouse operations across multiple workstations, and access and egress training.
As part of the programme, participants also spend time with Sysco drivers, acting as a driver buddy on customer deliveries, and complete HR-focused modules covering CV preparation and mock interviews. Each participant graduates with a Sysco-accredited certificate.
Company-Wide Engagement and Disability Awareness
Colleagues from across the Sysco Ireland business volunteer their time, skills, and knowledge to develop and deliver the academy, supported by ongoing Disability Awareness training, delivered by the WALK team. This is rolled out across the organisation, including Sysco’s Executive Team.
Speaking about the partnership CEO of WALK, Joe Mason said,
“WALK and Sysco’s shared vision and values has led to the development of this impactful partnership, supporting young adults with Intellectual Disabilities and/or Autism to gain and sustain meaningful employment in the open labour market.
The Sysco Purpose Academy is a best practice example for employers in supporting their employees to engage with local Supported Employment practitioners and make a meaningful difference in their local communities. This would not be possible without the visionary leadership at Sysco Ireland and the buy-in from all the teams across the Sysco business units.”
From Training to Industry: Expanding Opportunities
Beyond the Purpose Academy, the new three-year agreement creates opportunities to broaden collaboration between the two organisations.
WALK operates the Green Kitchen Café in Walkinstown and recently opened a new café in the GPO Museum. As a valued strategic partner, Sysco Ireland plans to expand its support in line with WALK’s Social Enterprise ambitions, including the future development of a hospitality training module to prepare participants for placements and jobs within WALK cafés, and the wider hospitality sector.
