Lush launches London spa apprenticeship scheme to tackle NEETs crisis

Lush has launched its first apprenticeship scheme, offering aspiring therapists in its London Spa locations the opportunity to gain nationally recognised Level 2 and Level 3 qualifications in Beauty Therapy.

The scheme will provide apprentices with 30 hours of paid work per week at an hourly rate of £14.80 - a rate that Lush says is almost double the Government minimum wage for apprentices under the age of 21.

While the Living Wage Foundation does not require accredited organisations to pay apprentices the Real Living Wage, Lush said it believes providing higher pay is important to ensure training and employment opportunities offer greater independence and flexibility.

The company said apprentices will be paid in line with other staff delivering services across its retail operations, with the potential for employment following completion of the programme.

Boo Denovan from the Lush People Team said: "We want Lush Spas to be a realistic career opportunity for young people looking to grow their skills as therapists and earn a Real Living Wage. We are so excited to trial this in London and take an innovative approach to recruiting people who we hope will continue to have a long career in Lush, as opportunity hangs in the air.

“With results from this trial we are aiming to roll this approach out to other Lush Spas in England. We’re currently unable to use the Apprenticeship Levy to support our Spas in Wales and Scotland but would love to have the flexibility to use it in future.”

Applications are currently open through the Government apprenticeship website. The programme includes a range of responsibilities, from supporting daily spa operations to delivering treatments following completion of technical skills assessments.

As Lush Spas operate within retail environments, apprentices will also gain customer service experience and develop product and treatment knowledge to support customers.

Previously, Lush had only offered apprenticeship opportunities to existing employees. The new scheme marks the first time the company has opened applications to external candidates, a move it says is designed to help address growing demand for its spa services and recruitment challenges.

Pauline Llorca, Global Spa Support and Business Development for Lush, said: "Opening our apprenticeship scheme to external applicants for the first time is a hugely exciting milestone for Lush. Demand for Lush Spas is growing fast, and to meet that demand, we need to nurture the next generation of therapists.

"The spa apprenticeship is about opening our doors wide to fresh talent, mentoring people at the very start of their journey and equipping them with the skills to build successful, lifelong careers in the spa industry. If you’ve ever thought a career in spa therapy wasn’t accessible to you, we want to hear from you."

The launch comes amid wider concerns about youth employment and training opportunities. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of people aged 16 to 24 who are not in employment, education or training (NEET) reached 1.01 million between January and March.

This represents the highest level recorded since 2013 and marks an increase of 55,000 compared with the previous quarter.