M&S to Offer 1,000 Training Places for Young People Without Degrees
By Business Correspondent
Marks & Spencer is creating 1,000 training places for young people as the retailer looks to tackle rising youth unemployment and attract a new generation of store managers.
The new programme, called Not Just Any Career, will be rolled out across the UK and Ireland and is aimed primarily at 18 to 24-year-olds.
No degree will be required, with places open to both existing M&S staff and external applicants.
Successful candidates will take part in a six-month programme combining practical experience on the shop floor with leadership training and mentoring from senior colleagues. Those who complete the scheme will have the opportunity to progress into further management training.
The announcement comes as concerns grow over the number of young people out of work and education.
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An interim report from Alan Milburn's Young People and Work Review found that almost one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), equivalent to around one in eight. The report warned that figure could rise to one in six by 2030.
M&S chief executive Stuart Machin, who started his own retail career collecting shopping trolleys as a teenager, recently argued that employers need to do more to create opportunities for young people entering the workplace.
“A Saturday job can change a young person’s life. I know, because it transformed mine. But when I think about the challenges facing young people today, I worry that many won’t have the same opportunity.
"That doesn’t need to be the case – we can do so much more to provide the opportunities, experiences, and skills to unlock their confidence and get them into good jobs.”
The retailer says the programme is designed to give young people a clearer route into long-term careers in retail at a time when employers across the sector are struggling to recruit and retain future managers.
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Thinus Keeve, Retail Director at M&S, said:
“Retail is one of the few careers where you can start young, learn fast, lead teams early and build an incredible future through hard work and ambition. As Stuart has argued, retail is the engine of the everyday economy and there is no better place to start than on the shopfloor.
“At M&S, 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. You do not need a degree to succeed here; you need attitude, energy, resilience and the willingness to learn. This programme is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people the chance to thrive.”
The initiative sits alongside M&S's long-running Marks & Start partnership with The King's Trust, which has helped more than 14,000 people into work over the past 20 years.
Applications open on 27 July and will be offered on a rolling basis, with all 1,000 places expected to be filled over the next 18 months.
