Major British retailers have committed to offering work experience placements to young people who are out of education and employment under a new government-backed scheme.
Asda, Greggs, Tesco, and Ann Summers are among the retailers that have pledged to create up to 100,000 jobs targeting 18- to 24-year-olds not currently in education or work.
The programme will offer young people placements of up to four weeks, with a guaranteed job interview upon completion of each placement.
Participants will continue to receive Universal Credit payments from the government throughout the duration of their placements.
The British Retail Consortium, which helped design the scheme, says it aims to break the “no experience, no job” doom loop trapping young people outside the workforce.
The number of people classified as not in education, employment, or training, known as Neets, has risen to almost one million across the United Kingdom.
A series of tax changes since Labour came to power in 2024 has already reduced employment across the broader retail sector by 125,000 workers.
High street bosses believe the new scheme could help between 30,000 and 45,000 Neets find work every year, potentially creating 100,000 extra jobs before the end of Parliament.
Andy Burnham, who backed the initiative, 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 – leaving them stuck while the world of work drifts further out of reach. That isn’t right.”
The BRC confirmed that 40 retailers, including Amazon and M&S, have already pledged 11,305 placements through the programme.
Marc Bolland, M&S’s former chief executive, has been tasked by the Burnham Government to help persuade businesses to hire young Neets across the country.
Burnham added: “It’s great news that retailers across the country are stepping up to offer thousands of young people the chance to get valuable work experience and a route into a job.”
He continued: “Opportunities like these can make all the difference, helping young people gain the confidence, skills and connections they need to get started in work.”
Alan Milburn, the former health secretary, is separately leading a review into youth worklessness expected to make sweeping recommendations in the coming weeks.
Milburn is anticipated to call for major reforms across education, apprenticeships, and employment to prevent a “lost generation” from a lifetime on benefits.
Retail and hospitality bosses have also urged the Chancellor, John Healey, to introduce National Insurance tax breaks for businesses that hire young people in the October 28 Budget.
Helen Dickinson of the BRC said: “Retail is coming to the rescue for tens of thousands of young people struggling to take their first steps on the career ladder.”
Dickinson added: “Too many are trapped in a no-experience, no-job doom loop. High-quality work experience is essential to fix this problem, and opening shift is a major contribution to delivering it.”
Job centres across the country are set to support the rollout of the placements as the scheme moves toward a nationwide launch.
