Sainsbury's launches new programme for young people who are NEET, co-designed with Movement to Work and Aim a Little Higher.
Sainsbury’s – the latest employer to join the Movement to Work network – has launched a major new programme that will create 10,000 opportunities for young people over the next year.
This includes its first dedicated initiative for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEET), co-created with Movement to Work and Aim a Little Higher.
The programme was recently launched at their Nine Elms store in Battersea, where Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts was joined by Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, and Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to hear directly about the impact the programme will have for young people.
Few things matter more to us at Sainsbury’s than helping young people get on that first rung on the career ladder.
The element focused specifically on supporting young people aged 16 to 24 who are NEET is called KickStarter Insights – a series of one-day regional employability sessions designed to strengthen the participants’ communication skills, help them prepare for interviews, master applications, and build confidence for their next steps into work.
Starting in October, more than 200 young people will experience KickStarter Insights, an initiative designed by the Sainsbury’s Early Careers team and Aim a Little Higher, and supported by Movement to Work.
Through our network of youth organisations, we’ll connect Sainsbury’s with young people and facilitate practical AI and networking training with our partners at Microsoft and LinkedIn to help participants boost their job search and connect with employers and new opportunities.
The sessions will be led by Aim a Little Higher, a personal development organisation specialising in bridging the gap between young people and the world of work, helping participants build self-belief, communicate with confidence and unlock their potential.
These insight sessions will be lively and hands-on, introducing young people who are NEET to the breadth of opportunities at Sainsbury’s while helping to build their workplace readiness and understanding of what retail employers are looking for.
For some young people, this may be their first opportunity to engage directly with an employer, providing a supportive environment to develop practical employability skills and build confidence.
By helping participants feel better prepared to apply for roles and navigate the recruitment process, the programme hopes to inspire young people to consider future careers in retail and open up further opportunities to explore and apply for relevant roles with Sainsbury’s once they’ve completed the training.
CEO of Sainsburys, Simon Roberts, 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.”
CEO of Movement to Work, Charlotte McGrath, said:
“We’re delighted to welcome leading retailer and UK-wide employer Sainsbury’s to the Movement to Work network.
Working together with Sainsbury's and Aim a Little Higher to bring KickStarter Insights to life reflects a shared commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for young people who are NEET, many of whom face barriers to getting into work, including limited work experience and exposure to the workplace. This new programme will give participants the chance to meet an employer, gain real insight into the world of work and explore potential jobs and careers in retail.
We’re looking forward to the first sessions getting underway this October and watching young people grow in confidence, realise their potential and take their next steps towards work.”
Read more about Sainsbury’s KickStarter Programme
Image: Sainsbury’s CEO, Simon Roberts, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan at the launch of Sainsbury’s KickStarter programme at its Nine Elms store in Battersea.
Image credit: Sainsbury’s
Tell us who you are and why you want to get involved, and one of the team will come back to you.
