Marks & Spencer has committed to train and support nearly 2,000 hard-to-reach young people through its Marks & Starts programme over the next three years.
The initiative, as part of an ambitious multi-year strategy with the King’s Trust, is celebrating 20 years since it launched as a way to help those who face barriers to employment gain their first crucial step on the career ladder.
Since its launch, the scheme has helped over 30,000 people get into employment, including 12,000 young people facing barriers to work.
Today, over half a million young people in the UK are unemployed but eager to work, yet a new survey from M&S of 1,400 people aged 18-24 revealed that two thirds of young people still face barriers to employment.
Mental health is one of the biggest barriers for young people getting into work, with one in three saying it is a challenge.
Last year, M&S established its biggest ever charity partnership with Young Minds, which after its first year raised over £2.6 million to support young people, with a target to raise £5 million within three years.
With some 30% of young people signalling that employment, and a sense of stability, has a positive impact on their mental health, M&S wants to go one step further and get young people – especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds – into a career in retail.
‘Work Gave Me Purpose’
Marks & Spencer CEO Stuart Machin is championing the scheme as the key to breaking down some barriers faced by those furthest from employment.
Machin said, “As a young boy of 16 years old, I started my career in retail, working part-time on weekends and in the evening doing trolleys, working on the checkout serving customers and replenishing shelves.
“Work gave me purpose as well as pocket money.
“As one of the UK’s biggest retail employers, it’s our responsibility to help young people into work – especially those furthest from employment who might need extra support.”
Jonathan Townsend, CEO at the King’s Trust, added, “Young people continue to face significant challenges to their employment prospects but there are so many young people who are ready to work and just need an additional support to make that happen.
“We rely on partners like M&S who invest in young people and create accessible routes to employment, helping us to achieve our mission of building the confidence and skills of young people who need us most.”
‘Multiple Pressures’
Speaking about young people, the chief executive at Young Minds Laura Bunt said, “M&S’s research echoes what we know about young people struggling with their mental health and the barriers they face when it comes to work.
“Young people are experiencing multiple pressures, including poverty, inequality, intense academic pressure and the online world and the lack of early mental health support means they’re becoming more unwell.
“Through our partnership with M&S, we will continue breaking down barriers to show young people they’re not alone with their mental health, providing vital guidance and advice, and reaching more young people.”
Marks & Starts will work with MPs from all parties, as well as Metro Mayors and the government to explore ways to make it easier for companies to create employability schemes.
On an individual level, the initiative will equip young people with the essential skills they need to navigate their first roles, from CV building and interview preparation through to money management.
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