A host of large retailers have signed up to a scheme to offer up to four week experience for Neets – with aim to create permanent roles for young people who are struggling to find jobs
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has welcomed a new target from retailers to hire 100,000 young people who are struggling to find work.
A host of big name chains, from Tesco and Marks & Spencer to Greggs and John Lewis, have thrown their weight behind the initiative. The move comes amid alarm about the fact that nearly one million, or one in seven young people, are not in employment, education or training, known as Neets.
Former Cabinet Minister Alan Milburn, who is now compiling a review into the crisis, has warned this could rise to more than 1.25 million over the next five years.
A group of retailers – which also imclude Aldi, Amazon, Asda, B&Q, Boots, Costa Coffee, Currys, Dunelm, Morrisons, New Look, Next, and Primark – are in the development and roll out of a new work experience programme called Opening Shift, developed through trade body the British Retail Consortium and the Department for Work and Pensions.
Retailers will offer two to four week work experience placements to Neets aged 18 and 24 who are on Universal Credit, helping them gain skills and confidence that are important in getting a first job. All those taking part will continue to receive benefits and the scheme is voluntary.
The aim is help 100,000 Neets – including those who have been through the programme – to get jobs in the retail sector by 2029. Retail is already a big employer of young people, creating around 300,000 posts every year as staff come and go. However, those behind the 100,000 push say it is aimed specifically at young people who have never had a job in the sector before.
The drive comes despite retailers being among the hardest critics of Labour’s hike in employers’ national insurance rates, along with the higher minimum wage, which they say has been a drag on jobs. Mr Burnham said: “Too many young people are trapped in a vicious cycle where they need experience to get a job and need a job to get experience – leaving them stuck while the world of work drifts further out of reach. That isn’t right.
“It’s great news that retailers across the country are stepping up to offer thousands of young people the chance to get valuable work experience and a route into a job. Opportunities like these can make all the difference, helping young people gain the confidence, skills and connections they need to get started in work.”
Helen Dickinson, BRC chief executive, said: “Retail is coming to the rescue for tens of thousands of young people struggling to take their first steps on the career ladder. Too many are trapped in a no experience, no job doom loop. High-quality work experience is essential to fix this problem and Opening Shift is a major contribution to delivering it.”
Tesco boss Ken Murphy said: “The retail industry has always been at the heart of local communities, providing jobs that are flexible, secure and accessible. The scale of the response from our sector shows retailers recognise the challenge facing the next generation and are determined to be part of the solution.”