Sainsbury’s to offer 10,000 work experience places to tackle youth unemployment

Thousands of young people across the UK are set to gain valuable work experience as Sainsbury’s launches a new programme aimed at helping them build confidence, develop practical skills and take their first steps towards employment. The supermarket will offer around 10,000 work experience and skills opportunities over the next year through its new Modern Work Experience Programme, with the first opportunities becoming available from October. The programme is designed to reach young people who can face greater barriers to entering the workplace, including those who may have limited access to employer networks, careers advice or work experience through family and personal connections.

Sainsbury’s will work with schools and communities where it believes the programme can have the greatest impact. This includes areas with higher levels of free school meal uptake and communities where young people are more likely to be not in education, employment or training. The initiative comes as the Government steps up efforts to strengthen the link between education and employment and tackle rising concern over the number of young people struggling to enter the labour market. More than one million people aged between 16 and 24 are currently not in education, employment or training – around one in eight young people. The Government has made reducing this figure a national priority, arguing that young people need clearer routes from education into sustainable employment.

Sainsbury’s, one of the UK’s largest employers, is now joining a wider push by major businesses to give young people earlier and more meaningful exposure to the workplace. The programme will offer students opportunities to visit workplaces, meet employees and take part in careers sessions, alongside practical work experience. They will also receive support with skills such as writing CVs, preparing for interviews and completing job applications. The aim is not simply to give young people something to add to their CVs, but to help them understand what employers expect and give them a clearer picture of the careers available to them. Opportunities will cover a broad range of areas, reflecting the scale of Sainsbury’s business. Young people will be able to gain an insight into careers across retail, logistics, food, technology and business.

The programme will also be tailored to different age groups. Younger students will take part in a combination of school-based learning and workplace experiences designed to introduce them to the world of work at an early stage. Older students and young people will receive more targeted support, including help with CVs, interviews, applications and career planning. The approach reflects a growing recognition that traditional academic qualifications alone do not always give young people a clear understanding of the workplace or the skills needed to succeed in it. For many young people, getting that first opportunity can be difficult. Work experience has traditionally been easier to access for those with family connections or established professional networks, potentially leaving others at a disadvantage before they have even started looking for a job.

Sainsbury’s is seeking to address that gap by using its presence in communities across the UK to connect young people with employers and workplaces. The programme will operate across England, Scotland and Wales, with schools being encouraged to get involved from September ahead of the October launch. Sainsbury’s will work with The School Outreach Company to support the delivery of the programme, while also partnering with The Careers & Enterprise Company and other industry organisations. The partnerships will allow Sainsbury’s to test different approaches to work experience and identify what works best for young people and employers. The company hopes the programme can ultimately be expanded across more stores and communities. The initiative also follows the Prime Minister’s recent education reforms, which seek to give technical education a stronger role alongside traditional academic routes.

Under the new approach, young people are expected to gain earlier exposure to technical skills, work experience and connections with local employers. The Government has said it wants to put technical and academic education on a more equal footing and ensure there are “no dead ends” for young people leaving education. For employers, the benefits of better links with schools extend beyond social impact. Businesses are also facing a need to attract people with the skills, confidence and adaptability required in a changing labour market. Sainsbury’s believes its scale gives it an opportunity to help bridge that gap while giving young people a more realistic understanding of working life. The supermarket’s programme is therefore part of a bigger question facing employers and policymakers: how can the UK make the transition from education to employment easier, particularly for young people who do not have the same access to opportunities as their peers?

By putting young people directly in contact with workplaces, employers and career opportunities, Sainsbury’s hopes its new programme will give thousands of them a stronger starting point. The first opportunities will begin in October, with schools across the UK being encouraged to register their interest from September. For young people uncertain about what comes next, the programme could provide something that is often difficult to gain in the classroom: a first-hand look at the world of work and a chance to start building the confidence to enter it.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
“I know from personal experience, that work experience is often the first taste of the world of work for a young person, and everyone should be able to access placements, regardless of their background or circumstances. With around one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, I’ve made tackling youth unemployment a top priority, by investing in skills training and mentoring. As one of the country’s largest employers, with hundreds of branches across London, it’s great to see Sainsbury’s stepping up and launching 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people. My first experience of work was in retail. Programmes like this are vital for breaking down the barriers to work and building skills and confidence to thrive, as we continue to build a better, more prosperous capital for everyone.”