M&S Announces Traineeship Scheme to Help 1,000 Young People Find Work
The initiative, which requires no degree, will provide hands-on experience and skills to kickstart a career in retail.
M&S is helping to tackle rising youth unemployment with the launch of a new scheme. It will see 1,000 training places created across the UK and Ireland.
The 'Not Just Any Career' initiative is a six-month-long programme aimed at those aged between 18 and 24 years old. It will focus on providing leadership skills, hands-on experience and clear pathways to help the younger generation get on the career ladder.
Applications, which will open from July 27, will be available to both internal M&S colleagues and external candidates. Successful participants will not need a degree to take part as the initiative is aimed at providing them with real-life skills.
Placements will be made available throughout the year on a rolling basis over the next 18 months. The high street giant has confirmed that it will provide more information on how to apply, who is eligible and where places are available 'in due course.'
What is confirmed is that the initiative will provide youngsters with practical retail management skills, confidence-building and hands-on experience in store. Those who are successful will then be able to move into further training to becoming an M&S Store Manager.
For more than 20 years, M&S has helped more than 14,000 people into work through its long-standing partnership with The King's Trust Marks & Start. Just last week, His Majesty The King, Sir Gareth Southgate and M&S CEO Stuart Machin announced a new campaign to provide young people with more opportunities.
Set to fully launch in 2027, the nationwide movement will provide those facing isolation, adversity and unemployment with access to mentors, trusted adults, training, skills and work experience opportunities, with the government pledging £10 million of funding, alongside a further £10 million of corporate and philanthropic investment.
The launch comes amidst soaring youth unemployment. Last week, the interim report of Alan Milburn's Young People and Work Review found that nearly one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), roughly one in eight – and forecast to rise to one in six by 2030.
The review advised that the issue is now 'a chronic problem' for Britain and one that is 'getting worse not better.' It was also discovered that 60 percent of young people classified as NEET are now economically inactive and not seeking work.
In response to the findings and the issues facing the younger generation, M&S CEO Stuart Machin shared a blog post detailing his career in retail that began by pushing trolleys at the age of just 16 years old.
He wrote: 'A Saturday job can change a young person's life. I know, because it transformed mine. But when I think about the challenges facing young people today, I worry that many won't have the same opportunity. That doesn't need to be the case – we can do so much more to provide the opportunities, experiences, and skills to unlock their confidence and get them into good jobs.'
Thinus Keeve, Retail Director, said: 'Retail is one of the few careers where you can start young, learn fast, lead teams early and build an incredible future through hard work and ambition. As Stuart has argued, retail is the engine of the everyday economy and there is no better place to start than on the shopfloor. At M&S, 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. You do not need a degree to succeed here; you need attitude, energy, resilience and the willingness to learn. This programme is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people the chance to thrive.'
M&S' 'Not Just Any Career' initiative is set to open applications from July 27, with more information to be announced soon.
