Sainsbury’s is to launch a new Modern Work Experience programme that will create around 10,000 opportunities over the next year for young people.
The supermarket’s KickStarter programme, which has been designed and will be run by Sainsbury’s early careers team, colleagues, stores and store support centres, will bring together two pathways to support young people at different stages.
KickStarter Explore, for 14 to 18-year-olds, will provide 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 range of careers available at Sainsbury’s and the wider retail sector.
KickStarter Insights, for 16 to 24-year-olds, is co-designed and delivered in partnership with the grocer’s early careers team, youth employment charity Movement to Work, and specialist partner Aim a Little Higher.
These regional employability workshops aim to help young people strengthen communication skills, prepare for interviews and applications, and take the next step into work.
Sainsbury’s KickStarter programme sits alongside a separate pilot with The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), which Sainsbury’s is helping to shape.
Sainsbury’s programme will see more than 5,000 places delivered through KickStarter Explore and over 200 through KickStarter Inisghts.
Following the supermarket’s support of the pilot with IGD and the CEC, Sainsbury’s will deliver an additional 5,000 opportunities through its own programmes.
Those taking part will go behind the scenes on store tours, meet colleagues from across stores, logistics, technology and food, see how fresh produce reaches the shelves, and follow a product’s journey from farm to fork. Participants will also get practical help with CVs, interviews and applications.
The programme will be delivered across the UK, including England, Scotland and Wales. It will focus on the communities where Sainsbury’s said it could make the biggest difference, particularly those with a higher proportion of schools offering free school meals, and young people not in employment, education or training.
“Few things matter more to us at Sainsbury’s than helping young people get on that first rung on the career ladder,” said Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts. “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.”
Prime minister Andy Burnham added: “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.”
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