Member Article

M&S launches new employability scheme in Yorkshire

Marks & Spencer (M&S) today announced details of a new youth employability scheme – Make Your Mark – which will see the retailer join forces with youth charity, The Prince’s Trust, to create over 1,400 work experience placements for 16-25 year olds.

Yorkshire has been selected as a pilot area and this week, 20 young people aged between 16 and 24 from Leeds began their inductions and placements at M&S stores in Leeds, Cross Gates, Moortown, Pontefract, Guisley, Birstall, Huddersfield and Wetherby.

Youth unemployment in the UK has recently reached record levels, with one in five 16-24 year olds in the labour force currently struggling to find a job. In Leeds alone, one of just 27 cities and towns across the whole of the UK to initially be offered the opportunity to take part in Make Your Mark, current figures show that there are 17,400 unemployed young people.

Make Your Mark offers a training and job placement programme designed to address the skills and experience gap that prevents young people from finding work.

Marc Bolland, chief executive at Marks & Spencer, said: Marc Bolland, Chief Executive at Marks & Spencer, said: “Youth unemployment has become one of today’s key social issues and we want to lead the charge for businesses to do more to tackle it head on.

“That’s why we’ve set aside 1,400 new placements for young people in our stores and have called on our suppliers and other businesses to start engaging their communities and make their own commitments to youth opportunity, using the 2% benchmark as we have.”

Martina Milburn, chief executive of The Prince’s Trust, said: “Make Your Mark is set to help those young people furthest from the jobs market. We are looking forward to working with Marks & Spencer and witnessing the incredible benefits this will bring to the next generation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .