M&S Launches Traineeship for 1,000 Young People

BBC Business reported Sunday that Marks and Spencer is launching a paid traineeship targeting 1,000 young people across the UK and Ireland. The retailer framed the move as a direct response to worsening youth unemployment. Places will be available to 16-to-24-year-olds over the next 18 months.

Youth Unemployment Reaches a Generational Low Point

The M&S traineeship arrives as official data shows more than one million young people in the UK are currently not in employment, education, or training. That figure represents roughly one in eight young people. It is the highest level recorded in more than 12 years.

A major independent review published last month put the scale of the problem in starker terms. It warned that one in six young people could be classed as Neet within five years without urgent intervention. Former minister Alan Milburn authored the review. He cautioned that the country risks producing a “lost generation” of workers locked out of the economy.

Entry-Level Roles Are Disappearing

The Milburn review identified no single cause for the crisis. It cited the long-tail effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising rates of youth health problems, smartphone use, and a structural shrinkage in entry-level hiring. High street retail and hospitality have traditionally served as first-rung employers for school leavers. Both sectors are now under acute cost pressure.

What the M&S Scheme Offers

The six-month paid programme requires no degree. Participants who complete training successfully will move into further development aimed at store management roles. Retailer Director Thinus Keeve told BBC Business the scheme is designed to position retail as a genuine long-term career path rather than a temporary stepping stone.

The announcement coincides with a separate government initiative. Officials confirmed a new partnership between industry bodies and trade unions to study how artificial intelligence is reshaping entry-level work. Policymakers also pledged AI and technology training for 400,000 students in disadvantaged schools across the UK.

A Broader Corporate and Policy Push

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had already signalled intent on this front. Last year she announced guaranteed paid work placements for young people out of jobs or education for 18 months or longer. The M&S scheme adds private sector momentum to those public commitments. Whether voluntary corporate action can move the needle on a structural problem remains an open question for analysts watching the UK labour market.

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