Marks and Spencer will help up to 1,000 young people kickstart their careers amid fears that young unemployment could rise to 18 per cent by next spring. 

The retail giant has said it will offer traineeships to hundreds of 18 to 24-year-olds over the next year-and-a-half. 

Successful applicants will go through a six-month scheme where they will learn about retail management and confidence building as well as gain hands-on experience in M&S stores. 

They will then undertake further training before being handed full-time jobs across the company.  

M&S retail director Thinus Keeve said: ‘Retail is one of the few careers where you can start young, learn fast, lead teams early and build an incredible future through hard work and ambition. 

‘This programme is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people the chance to thrive.’ 

In a recent blog post on the M&S website, chief executive Stuart Machin said: ‘A Saturday job can change a young person’s life. 

‘I know, because it transformed mine. But when I think about the challenges facing young people today, I worry that many won’t have the same opportunity. 

‘That doesn’t need to be the case – we can do so much more to provide the opportunities, experiences, and skills to unlock their confidence and get them into good jobs.’

Mr Machin, whose first role was pushing shopping trollies at SavaCentre, said it was this Saturday job that turned him into a ‘more confident young man’, which gave him ‘pride’. 

He became a supervisor at 17 years old and a year later was encouraged to apply to the trainee management scheme, which meant leaving home. At 26 Mr Machin was promoted to store director.  

‘Retail gave me an opportunity to learn about store operations, supply chain, leadership, safety, product buying and knowledge,’ he said. 

‘More than anything it gave me responsibility at a young age.’ 

M&S already supports unemployed young people with its Marks & Start scheme, run in partnership with The King’s Trust, in which participants undertake a four-week placement to gain practical retail experience. 

Around 80 per cent successfully complete the scheme and secure a 16-hour contract for three months – while roughly two-thirds then go on to get a permanent contract with the retail giant. 

The company now wants to help young people kickstart their careers with its new traineeship programme. 

It comes after Labour was attacked on Monday following bleak predictions that youth unemployment is heading towards 18 per cent for the first time in more than a decade. 

The British Chambers of Commerce said it expects the jobless rate among 16 to 24-year-olds to rise from the current level of 16.2 per cent to 17.9 per cent by spring next year.

That would be the highest level since early 2014 and add another 79,000 to the army of youngsters unable to find a job – taking the total to over 800,000.

The BCC warned overall unemployment is heading for a 12-year high of 5.5 per cent as the economy slows to a crawl with growth of just 0.9 per cent this year and 1 per cent in 2027.

The grim forecast came just days after official figures showed there are now one million Neets – not in education, employment or training – aged 16 to 24.

And it follows last week’s long-awaited report by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn that warned Britain faces a ‘lost generation’ of jobless youngsters without major reform.

Critics have warned that higher taxes on business – including an increase in national insurance contributions (NICs) – as well as inflation-busting hikes to the minimum wage for younger workers have priced them out of jobs.

The BCC demanded ‘bolder action to tackle those at risk’ before they join the swelling ranks of Neets – including better careers education and training as well as ‘reducing costs for employers’.

BCC economist David Bharier said: ‘With youth unemployment approaching 18 per cent by mid-2027, the UK risks weakening the skills pipeline it needs for the next economy.’ 

David McDowall, chief executive of Stonegate Group, which has more than 4,500 sites and owns chains including Slug & Lettuce and Be At One, said: ‘Today’s youth unemployment figures are a stark reminder of what happens when government policy actively penalises this job creation.

‘If the Government is serious about reversing this rise in youth unemployment, it must first review its own policy decisions. 

‘We don’t lack the desire to hire young people; we lack the economic breathing room to do so.

‘I implore the Chancellor to reverse the increase in NICs to give our sector, and the wider UK High Street, the support it needs to reinvigorate youth employment.’