Marks & Spencer is launching a paid training scheme aimed at tackling what it calls the “growing youth unemployment challenge”, creating 1,000 places for 16 to 24-year-olds across the UK and Ireland over the next 18 months.
The scheme will provide six months of training, with successful participants going on to receive further training to become store managers. No degree is required to apply.
It comes as official figures show more than a million young people are classed as NEETS (not in employment, education or training) – the highest level in over 12 years, equating to roughly one in eight young people. A recent review by Alan Milburn warned that figure could rise to one in six within five years without intervention.
M&S retail director Thinus Keeve said: “We want more young people to see retail not just as a first job, but as a career with real opportunity, real responsibility and real progression. This programme is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people the chance to thrive.”
The announcement coincides with a series of government measures on youth employment, including a new partnership with industry and trade unions examining how artificial intelligence is affecting entry-level roles, and AI and tech training for 400,000 students in disadvantaged schools. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is also set to launch a trial of an AI jobseeker assistant, which the government hopes will act as a “jobcentre in your pocket”.
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