Marks & Spencer launches new traineeship for 1,000 young people

Marks & Spencer is launching a new training scheme for 1,000 young people across the UK and Ireland over the next 18 months, with the aim of tackling the youth unemployment crisis.

The scheme will provide six months of training for those aged 16-24, with successful participants then receiving further training to become store managers. A degree is not required.

It forms part of the retailer's aim to tackle the growing youth unemployment crisis, with the latest figures showing that more than one million young people are not currently in employment, education or training - commonly referred to as NEETs.

This marks the highest level of youth unemployment in over 12 years, with roughly one in eight young people affected.

A review published last month by former minister Alan Milburn warned that job and career opportunities for those looking to enter employment were shrinking, with the UK risking a "lost generation".

High street retailers and hospitality businesses often provide the first work experiences for many young people.

Yet currently, the retail sector is under pressure on two fronts: rising labour costs and a sharp drop in entry-level vacancies.

NEXT Chief Executive Lord Simon Wolfson said in May that the number of applicants per shop vacancy at NEXT had doubled from 10 to 19 in two years. He blamed higher labour costs, including last year's national insurance rate hike and increases to the national minimum wage, along with slow economic growth.

The launch of the M&S scheme follows a Government announcement last week aimed at helping more than one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) into work. The Government appointed former M&S Chief Executive Marc Bolland to lead the initiative, due to both his experience at the retailer and leading a youth employment charity.

The topic is an important one for the Government. Over the weekend, it announced a further partnership with businesses and trade unions to assess the impact of artificial intelligence on entry-level jobs. It also unveiled plans to provide AI and technology training to 400,000 pupils in disadvantaged schools.