More than a million young people in the UK are now not in employment, education or training — the highest level in over 12 years, equating to roughly one in eight. And a key review last month warned that without action, that figure could rise to one in six within five years.
Into that gap steps Marks and Spencer, which on Monday launched a paid training scheme aimed at 16- to 24-year-olds, creating 1,000 places across the UK and Ireland over the next 18 months. The programme offers six months of training, with successful participants then receiving further training to become a store manager. No degree is required.
“M&S launches 1,000 youth training places as retail chiefs warn youth job ladder is 'wobbling'.”
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 move comes as a group of supermarket and high street chiefs prepare to call on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to set out urgent measures to tackle youth unemployment, warning that 'the ladder of opportunity for young people is wobbling'. The review, authored by former minister Alan Milburn, found that job and career opportunities for those hoping to enter employment were 'not growing, they're shrinking', and warned of a potential 'lost generation'.
The review said there was no single factor causing the crisis, citing the Covid-19 pandemic, smartphones, health issues and a sharp drop in the number of entry-level positions. High Street retailers and hospitality businesses such as restaurants, cafes and pubs often offer the first experience of work for many, but those entry points are under pressure.
Over the weekend, the government announced a partnership with industry and trade unions to examine how artificial intelligence affects entry-level roles, and will give businesses advice on redesigning roles while maintaining routes into the workforce. Separately, 400,000 students in disadvantaged schools will receive AI and tech training.
Darren Hardman, chief executive for Microsoft in the UK and Ireland, told the BBC's Today programme that the government needed to focus on building the 'AI fluency of their people'. He warned: 'The risk that, if we don't drive a skilling agenda... that really thinks about social mobility, then we do risk leaving people behind. We know that talent is everywhere in this country, but opportunity is not.'
With M&S's 1,000 places a drop in a sea of more than a million Neets, and retail bosses pressing Starmer for action, the question remains whether such schemes can turn the tide before a generation is lost.