M&S has unveiled a new training placement programme, ‘Not Just Any Career’, to create 1,000 roles for young people across the UK to support career starters in gaining access to work experience and employment opportunities.

The move comes after the recent Milburn Review highlighted the challenges facing younger workers in getting onto the career ladder, with nearly one million (approximately one in eight) classified as NEETs (not in education, employment or training) – a figure that’s expected to rise to one in six by 2030.

Designed to open opportunities for people at the start of their careers, the programme will focus on leadership skills, hands-on experience, and clear pathways into a retail career for life.

“A Saturday job can change a young person’s life. I know, because it transformed mine,” said M&S’ CEO Stuart Machin. “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 programme responds to the growing youth unemployment challenge by giving young people practical experience, support and a direct route into management.

Participants receive six months of training, supported by M&S leaders and store colleagues, with the scheme focused on practical retail management skills, confidence-building and hands-on experience in-store.

The Not Just Any Career programme sits alongside M&S’s long-standing partnership with The King’s Trust Marks & Start, which has supported more than 14,000 people into work over 20 years.

“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,” commented Retail Director, Thinus Keeve. He said that the retail sector remains “the engine of the everyday economy”, adding “there is no better place to start than on the shopfloor.”

Last week, research from x-hoppers suggested that despite rising labour costs, retailers are still investing in their frontline teams across hiring, pay and tech deployment. Figures in its ‘State of the Connected Store’ report showed that half (49%) are currently committing to human capital and growing store teams, rising to eight in ten (86%) fashion retailers.