Retail sector pledges 100,000 youth jobs as DWP launches Opening Shift work experience programme

• New scheme to offer 18-24-year-olds work experience being developed with Britain’s biggest retailers including John Lewis, Currys and Costa Coffee.
• It forms part of a wider retail sector target to deliver 100,000 jobs for young people by the end of this Parliament to tackle the number of young people not in employment, education or training.
• Former Marks and Spencer Chief Executive Marc Bolland – appointed by Government to drive forward youth employment reforms – played central role in creating new partnership with the British Retail Consortium.

Young people will be given vital work experience opportunities thanks to a major initiative between government and Britain’s leading retailers – with the ambition to create up to 100,000 jobs by the end of the Parliament. 

Alongside the sector’s ambitions of creating 100,000 jobs, BRC and DWP are launching a new work experience programme, Opening Shift, which will see 18-24-year-olds looking for work offered two to four weeks of hands-on experience as part of more than 11,000 placements with Britain’s biggest retailers, including Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, Curry’s and Costa Coffee, complete with dedicated workplace support and interview experience. 

The DWP will manage the pipeline of eligible young Universal Credit customers who will be referred to the voluntary programme through Jobcentres, and the retailers will provide the placements and wider support, with 16 to 35 hours of work experience provided each week for two to four weeks. 

They could be offered a permanent role if one is available, be put on the retailer’s talent bank, or directed towards apprenticeship and other opportunities. 

The retail sector has used the launch of the programme to set a target of delivering 100,000 jobs for young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) by the end of this Parliament.  

Retail has long been a key gateway into work for young people, and this new offer from the sector comes after Alan Milburn spoke of the vital importance of work experience for young people, while warning that for many the first rung on the career ladder has thinned.  

Earlier this year the government appointed former Marks & Spencer Chief Executive and founder of the charity Movement to Work Marc Bolland to convene businesses and create more opportunities for young people, and he has played a central role in creating this new partnership.  

To mark the launch Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden met young people during a visit to John Lewis Oxford Street on Monday. The John Lewis Partnership has also committed to the Jobs Guarantee with 30 new Waitrose roles and a target to recruit 1,000 care-experienced young people by 2030. 

Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden said:

“This partnership will help young people to get the experience employers are looking for.

“Work experience can be life-changing, giving young people the skills, confidence and connections they need to take their first step into work.

“By creating thousands of opportunities in the retail sector, we’re delivering on our commitment to help more young people build brighter futures, backed by our £2.5 billion investment to support the next generation into employment.”

Marc Bolland said:

“My work as Founder and Chairman of Movement to Work showed me first-hand what’s possible when business and government work together to open doors for young people.  

“Today’s announcement takes that further, creating thousands more opportunities for young people to build a future in one of Britain’s biggest industries and I’d encourage every retailer to look at what more they can offer.”

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive at the British Retail Consortium, said:

“Retail is coming to the rescue for tens of thousands of young people struggling to take their first steps on the career ladder. 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.

“Retail is uniquely placed to make a difference on the NEETs crisis, given the industry’s scale and reach touching every corner of the country. The challenges facing young people are significant. Work experience is a first step and with the right conditions for businesses to invest and create new entry level jobs, employers across the economy can help tackle the NEET crisis.”

As one of the UK’s largest employers, with businesses in communities across the country, the retail sector is uniquely placed to provide the work experience, skills and confidence that can help young people take their first step into employment.

This comes as many retailers are already backing the government’s Youth Guarantee reforms to give every young person the chance to earn or learn. This includes McDonald’s which has launched the largest paid in-person work experience programme in the UK, as well as Sainsbury’s, who have also committed to create around 10,000 work experience and employability opportunities for young people from October. Together, they are creating more opportunities for young people who are NEET or at risk of becoming NEET.  

This follows the Government’s recent education reforms to provide technical pathways for young people to close the gap between the classroom and the workplace. 

The sector’s involvement builds on the Government’s youth employment support, including the Jobs Guarantee scheme, which has been backed by over 400 employers and offers a direct route into work for eligible young people. More than 90,000 young people will be supported into work by the scheme in the next three years, with the first cohort already starting positions with retailers including Lidl and Boots. 

Additional Information

• Opening Shift is a new DWP and retail industry work experience programme for 18 to 24-year-old NEETs, offering two to four-week placements (16 to 35 hours per week) with ongoing Universal Credit support, travel cost assistance where needed, workplace mentoring and interview experience. Its aim is to give young people the skills and experience they need to get their first job and contribute towards the BRC’s ambition of creating 100,000 jobs by the end of this Parliament.
• The British Retail Consortium is the trade association for the UK retail industry, representing more than 200 members including major retailers and independent businesses, and has brought together retailers to develop this programme with the support of the DWP.
• Marc Bolland is Lead Non-Executive Director at the Department for Work and Pensions and founder chairman of Movement to Work, a registered charity offering free support to businesses to create youth employability programmes. It has delivered more than 200,000 opportunities for 16 to 30-year-olds facing barriers to work. *The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
• This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant, a £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six-month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds through the Jobs Guarantee.
• The Jobs Guarantee will support over 90,000 Universal Credit claimants aged 18 to 24 into work over the next three years, providing six months of fully funded paid employment matched to their skills after 18 months of claiming and searching for work. The first cohort of young people have already started roles at companies such as Boots and Lidl, with a national rollout later this year.
• The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is contributing to the Youth Guarantee through a range of employment and work experience opportunities. Through JLP’s Building Happier Futures programme, 1,000 roles will be ringfenced for care-experienced young people by 2030.
• List of retailers involved in the development and roll out of Opening Shift to date: Aldi, All Saints, Amazon, Ann Summers, Asda, B&M, B&Q, Bensons, Booths, Boots, Currys, Dobbies, Dr Martens, Dunelm, Fishpools, Holland & Barrett, House of Bruar, Iceland, JD Sports, John Lewis Partnership, JoJo Maman Bebe, Lakeland, Liberty, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Mountain Warehouse, New Look, Next, Our Coop, Pets at Home, Pret, Primark, Savers, Screwfix, Superdrug, Tesco, The Perfume Shop, The Works, Very Group, Wickes.