M&S Introduces Not Just Any Career Programme to Support Youth Employment and Retail Leadership Development

M&S Introduces Not Just Any Career Programme to Support Youth Employment and Retail Leadership Development

(IN BRIEF) M&S has launched Not Just Any Career, a new six-month training initiative offering 1,000 places for young people aged 18 to 24 across the UK and Ireland, with no degree required. The programme is designed to provide graduate-style retail development opportunities through hands-on store experience, leadership training, confidence-building and clear progression pathways into retail management. The initiative responds to growing concern over youth unemployment and inactivity, following Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work Review, which found that nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are not in employment, education or training. M&S CEO Stuart Machin, who began his own career pushing trolleys at 16, has emphasized the importance of early work opportunities in helping young people gain confidence and access good jobs. The scheme will operate alongside M&S’s long-standing partnership with The King’s Trust through Marks & Start, which has supported more than 14,000 people into work, and a future AI-powered digital platform planned for early 2027. Applications open on 27 July, with placements made throughout the year and 1,000 opportunities available over the next 18 months.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 8-Jun-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — M&S has announced the launch of Not Just Any Career, a new training initiative that will create 1,000 opportunities for young people across the UK and Ireland, helping them gain practical retail experience, develop leadership skills and build confidence at the start of their working lives.

The programme is designed for young people aged 18 to 24 and is open to both existing M&S colleagues and external applicants, including school leavers. No degree is required to take part. Through the initiative, M&S aims to provide graduate-style development opportunities for young people who want to enter retail, progress quickly and explore long-term career pathways within the business.

Not Just Any Career has been created against the backdrop of growing concern over the number of young people not in employment, education or training. A recent interim report from Alan Milburn’s Young People and Work Review found that nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds in the UK are currently NEET, equivalent to around one in eight young people, with the figure forecast to rise to one in six by 2030.

The six-month training scheme will give participants hands-on experience in M&S stores, supported by store colleagues and business leaders. The programme will focus on practical retail management, leadership development, confidence-building and the skills needed to move into positions of greater responsibility. Successful participants will also have the opportunity to continue their development through further training toward becoming an M&S Store Manager.

The initiative reflects the personal experience of M&S Chief Executive Officer Stuart Machin, who began his own retail career at the age of 16 pushing trolleys. In a recent blog post commissioned by Alan Milburn, Machin highlighted the transformative role that early work experience can play in a young person’s life.

“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,” said Stuart Machin.

Not Just Any Career will sit alongside M&S’s long-running partnership with The King’s Trust through the Marks & Start programme, which has helped more than 14,000 people move into work over the past 20 years. M&S is also involved in a new campaign announced by His Majesty the King, Sir Gareth Southgate and Stuart Machin to create more opportunities for young people.

As part of the wider partnership with The King’s Trust, a new AI-powered digital platform is being developed to provide practical resources, mentoring, skills support and access to real-world opportunities. The platform is expected to launch in early 2027 and will support young people facing adversity and isolation, helping them build confidence, prepare for work and move toward stable employment.

Thinus Keeve, Retail Director at M&S, said retail remains one of the few career paths where young people can begin early, gain responsibility quickly and build a strong future through ambition and hard work. He said M&S wants more young people to see retail not only as a first job, but as a career offering opportunity, responsibility and progression.

“You do not need a degree to succeed here; you need attitude, energy, resilience and the willingness to learn. This programme is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people the chance to thrive,” said Thinus Keeve.

Applications for Not Just Any Career will open on 27 July, with placements offered on a rolling basis throughout the year. M&S will make 1,000 places available over the next 18 months, with further details on eligibility, application steps and placement locations to be announced in due course.

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SOURCE: Marks and Spencer