The Labour Government has launched a major partnership with some of Britain’s biggest retailers aimed at creating up to 100,000 jobs for young people who are currently out of work or education.
The initiative brings together the Department for Work and Pensions, the British Retail Consortium and more than 40 major employers, including John Lewis, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Amazon, Asda, Primark, Boots and Lidl.
At the heart of the programme is a new scheme called Opening Shift, which will initially provide more than 11,000 work experience placements for 18 to 24-year-olds receiving Universal Credit.
Participants will be offered between two and four weeks of practical workplace experience, alongside dedicated support and interview experience. Those completing placements could be offered permanent jobs where vacancies exist, placed on employers’ talent banks or directed towards apprenticeships and other opportunities.
Burnham: Breaking the cycle facing young people
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the initiative was designed to address one of the biggest barriers facing young people trying to enter the labour market for the first time.
He 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.”
Burnham said the Government wanted to stop young people being left behind and give them a meaningful first step into employment.
There are currently just under one million young people aged 16 to 24 in the UK who are not in education, employment or training, making youth economic inactivity one of the Government’s major employment challenges.
McFadden visits John Lewis
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden marked the launch with a visit to John Lewis on Oxford Street, where he met young workers and discussed the opportunities the retail sector can provide.
The John Lewis Partnership is among the businesses playing a leading role in the programme and has also committed to ringfencing 1,000 jobs for care-experienced young people by 2030.
John Lewis Partnership Chief People Officer Helen Webb said:
“Retail gave many of us our first job, and it should still be doing that.”
She said the programme would give young people the experience employers often demand while also helping retailers develop their future workforce.
100,000-job ambition
Alongside the Opening Shift placements, Britain’s retail sector has set an ambition to create 100,000 jobs for young people not in employment, education or training by the end of this Parliament.
More than 40 retailers have already become involved, including Aldi, Amazon, Asda, B&Q, Boots, Currys, JD Sports, John Lewis Partnership, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Next, Pets at Home, Pret, Primark, Superdrug and Tesco. The announcement has also been reported by the Guardian.
The partnership was developed with the support of former Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland, who was appointed by the Government earlier this year to help businesses create more employment opportunities for young people.
Part of Labour’s wider Youth Guarantee
The retail initiative forms part of a wider Labour strategy aimed at ensuring young people have access to employment, training or education. McFadden has previously argued that Labour’s Youth Guarantee offers hope as the number of young people not in education, employment or training has begun to fall.
The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 through its Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy, with plans to support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn or learn.
Measures include a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant, a £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers and a fully funded six-month job for eligible long-term unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds.
The Government says its Jobs Guarantee alone is expected to help more than 90,000 young Universal Credit claimants into employment over the next three years.
Government and business working together
The initiative is also being presented as an example of Labour’s wider attempt to build a closer partnership between government and employers.
Retail remains one of Britain’s largest employment sectors and has traditionally provided an important entry point into work for people without extensive qualifications or previous experience.
By combining government support with commitments from major employers, ministers hope the programme can tackle youth unemployment while helping businesses recruit and train the workers they need.
For Labour, the ambition is clear: prevent a generation of young people becoming disconnected from the labour market and ensure that thousands more are given the experience, confidence and opportunity needed to secure their first job.
