Sainsbury’s launches modern work experience programme to help 10,000 young people
Sainsbury’s is launching a new modern work experience programme that will create around 10,000 opportunities over the next year for young people.
The supermarket described the programme as a fresh take on the idea of a week’s work placement.
Subscribe to TRBCalled KickStarter, the scheme has been designed and will be run by Sainsbury’s early careers team, colleagues, stores and store support centres. It sits alongside a separate pilot with The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), which Sainsbury’s said it is helping to develop. The aim is to help more young people access meaningful work experience and better understand the opportunities available to them.
The KickStarter scheme comprises two different pathways to support young people of different age groups:
KickStarter Explore, for those aged 14 to 18, is a blend of in-school learning and practical work experience, co-designed with The School Outreach Company. The programme will help young people build confidence, develop workplace skills and discover the wide range of careers available at Sainsbury’s and the wider retail sector.
KickStarter Insights, aimed at 16 to 24 year olds, has been co-designed and delivered in partnership with Sainsbury’s Early Careers team, youth employment charity Movement to Work and specialist partner Aim a Little Higher. These regional employability workshops will help young people strengthen communication skills, prepare for interviews and applications, and take their next step into work.
More than 5,000 places will be delivered through KickStarter Explore, and over 200 through KickStarter Insights. Following its support of the pilot with IGD and the CEC, Sainsbury’s will make available an additional 5,000 opportunities through its own programmes.
Sainsbury’s said the programme will involve staff from across the business giving their time to support young people, who will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes on a store tour and meet colleagues from stores, logistics, technology and food. They will also get hands-on experience, including the chance to see how fresh produce reaches the shelves and follow a product’s journey from farm to fork. In addition, participants will receive practical help with CVs, interviews and applications.
The programme will be delivered across England, Scotland and Wales with a particular focus on areas with a high proportion of schools offering free school meals, and young people not in employment.
Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said: “Like so many of us, I started my working life at 16 and know first-hand how much getting that first job really matters. Few things matter more to us at Sainsbury’s than helping young people get on that first rung on the career ladder. With a quarter of our colleagues under 25, we see every day how much a first job can change lives.
“Far too many young people are growing up in the UK today without access to meaningful work experience, often because they cannot find the right connections or network. With nearly one million young people not in education, employment or training, the scale of the challenge facing us has never been clearer.
“Our new work experience programme will create around 10,000 opportunities over the next year, reaching the young people who need them most in communities right across the UK and helping them build the confidence, skills and experience to take their first step into work.”
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said: “As the largest private sector employer, retail is a first step on the career ladder for thousands of people every year, building confidence, skills and experience that shapes their futures.
“Helping more young people be work ready and those who need help breaking out of the no-experience, no-job doom loop is critical to addressing the NEETs crisis. This great initiative is just the start as more retailers scale up the opportunities the industry can provide.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “It’s great to see Sainsbury’s stepping up with 10,000 opportunities a year to help young people build confidence, gain experience and get a foot in the door. I encourage more businesses across the country to do the same.
“Access to opportunity and work experience shouldn’t depend on who you know, it should be within reach for every young person wherever they live – and that’s what I’m determined to deliver.”
