Opening Shift: retail work experience for young people in Wales

Young people out of work in Wales are being offered placements with some of Britain’s biggest retailers, under a new work experience scheme launching on Tuesday.

Opening Shift, run by the Department for Work and Pensions and the British Retail Consortium, will offer 18 to 24-year-olds two to four weeks of hands-on experience, with more than 11,000 placements at chains including Tesco, John Lewis, Waitrose, Currys and Costa Coffee.

The scheme is aimed at young people not in employment, education or training. Around 56,800 young people in Wales currently fall into that category.

Jobcentres will refer young people claiming Universal Credit to the voluntary programme, with placements of 16 to 35 hours a week, workplace mentoring and interview experience included.

The placements are unpaid: participants keep their Universal Credit while taking part, with help towards travel costs where needed.

At the end, they could be offered a permanent role if one is available, added to the retailer’s talent bank, or pointed towards apprenticeships and other openings.

Welsh Secretary Stephen Kinnock said the announcement “will see young people in Wales access those vital first steps on to the jobs ladder, with the benefit of work experience at some of our top retailers”.

“This is a scheme designed to kickstart careers and prepare the next generation in Wales for success in the workplace. I’m proud that the UK Government is taking decisive action to support our young people and nurture their talent,” he said.

The 100,000 jobs promise

The retail sector has used the launch to set itself a bigger target: 100,000 jobs for young people not in work or education by the end of this Parliament.

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said retail was “coming to the rescue” for young people “trapped in a no experience, no job doom loop”, calling high-quality work experience essential to fixing the problem.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said work experience “can be life-changing”, pointing to the government’s £2.5bn investment in supporting the next generation into employment.

The chains involved are household names on high streets and retail parks across Swansea Bay, with nearly 40 retailers signed up so far, from Aldi and Asda to Primark, Screwfix and Wickes.

Tesco alone says it is creating 5,000 Opening Shift placements this year, while learning disability charity Mencap welcomed the scheme but urged retailers “to make sure their placements are genuinely supportive of and accessible to people with a learning disability”.

The programme sits alongside the government’s wider £2.5bn Youth Guarantee package, which includes a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant, a £2,000 apprenticeship payment for employers, and a Jobs Guarantee offering six months of paid work to long-term unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds.

For young people wanting a placement, the route in is through their local Jobcentre and their Universal Credit work coach.