Sainsbury’s creates 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people

Sainsbury’s is creating around 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people across the UK as it launches a major new programme designed to help more people gain practical experience and take their first steps towards employment.

The supermarket’s new KickStarter programme, alongside a wider industry pilot involving the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), will provide thousands of young people with opportunities to experience the workplace over the next year.

The initiative comes as the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) remains close to one million.

The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimate that 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 were NEET between April and June 2026. Although this was 30,000 lower than the previous quarter, the figure was still 30,000 higher than the same period last year.

Sainsbury’s said its new programme is intended to give young people more meaningful and repeated contact with employers, rather than relying on traditional one-off work experience placements.

Opportunities will include practical skills sessions, workplace visits, conversations with employees and employability support, helping young people understand what different careers involve while developing skills they can use when applying for jobs.

Around 10,000 opportunities will be available over the next year, with more than 5,000 places being delivered through KickStarter Explore.

KickStarter Explore is aimed at young people aged 14 to 18 and combines learning in schools with practical exposure to the workplace.

The programme has been co-designed with The School Outreach Company and is intended to help young people build confidence, develop workplace skills and discover the wide range of careers available in retail and beyond.

The places available through KickStarter Explore will give young people the opportunity to learn more about working life before they reach the point of applying for their first job.

Sainsbury’s believes that giving young people early exposure to employers can help them understand the skills required in the workplace and make more informed decisions about their future careers.

Sainsbury’s is also launching KickStarter Insights for young people aged 16 to 24.

More than 200 places will initially be offered through the programme, which has been developed by Sainsbury’s Early Careers team alongside youth employment charity Movement to Work and specialist partner Aim a Little Higher.

Participants will take part in regional employability workshops covering areas such as communication, applications, interviews and preparing for employment.

They will also get behind-the-scenes experience of different parts of the Sainsbury’s business, including stores, logistics, technology and food operations.

Activities could include visiting stores, meeting employees working in different roles, seeing how fresh produce reaches supermarket shelves and learning more about how products move through the supply chain.

The programme will also provide practical help with CVs, job applications and interview preparation.

A further 5,000 opportunities will be created through Sainsbury’s involvement in an industry pilot with Institute of Grocery Distribution and the Careers & Enterprise Company.

The pilot will look at how employers can provide better work experience opportunities for young people and is expected to help shape the way opportunities are delivered across Sainsbury’s store network from 2027.

The new initiative comes at a time when getting a first job is becoming increasingly difficult for many young people.

According to the Government-commissioned Young People and Work review, six in ten young people who are currently NEET have never had a job.

At the same time, 84 per cent of NEET young people surveyed said they wanted a job, education or training.

The figures suggest that the problem is not simply a lack of motivation among young people. For many, the difficulty is gaining the experience, skills and connections needed to secure their first opportunity.

That can create a difficult cycle for young jobseekers: employers ask for experience when recruiting, but young people need someone to give them their first opportunity before they can gain it.

Retail has traditionally played an important role in breaking that cycle, providing many young people with their first experience of paid employment.

Sainsbury’s said it wants its new programme to help more young people develop the confidence and practical skills they need to make the transition from education into employment.

The emphasis on repeated contact with employers is also significant. Rather than simply spending a few days observing employees, participants can gain a broader understanding of the workplace through skills sessions, conversations with staff, workplace visits and practical employability support.

The programme will operate across England, Scotland and Wales, with a particular focus on communities where young people face greater barriers to employment.

Sainsbury’s believes its national network gives it an opportunity to reach young people who may not otherwise have easy access to employers or professional networks.

Sainsbury’s says its new programme is designed to help address this challenge by giving young people meaningful exposure to the workplace before they are competing for permanent jobs.

The supermarket is also working with other organisations across the grocery industry to explore how more high-quality work experience can be provided.

Announcing the opportunities for young people, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Officer, 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.

Other Comments:

Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, Helen Dickinson:

“As the largest private sector employer, retail is a first step on the career ladder for thousands of people every year, building confidence, skills and experience that shapes their futures. Helping more young people be work ready and those who need help breaking out of the no-experience, no-job doom loop is critical to addressing the NEETs crisis. This great initiative is just the start as more retailers scale up the opportunities the industry can provide.”

“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.”

Prime Minister, Andy Burnham:

“The youth unemployment crisis has been ignored for too long. This government is making it a top priority and bringing back hope. Last month we announced a shake-up of the education system, with the launch of new prestigious technical educational routes. Now we’re bringing employers, schools and colleges together to close the gap between the classroom and the workplace.”

“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.”

London Mayor, Sadiq Khan:

“I know from personal experience that work experience is often the first taste of the world of work for a young person and everyone should be able to access placements, regardless of their background or circumstances.

“With around one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, I’ve made tackling youth unemployment a top priority, by investing in skills training and mentoring. As one of the country’s largest employers, with hundreds of branches across London, it’s great to see Sainsbury’s stepping up and launching 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people.

“My first experience of work was in retail. Programmes like this are vital for breaking down the barriers to work and building skills and confidence to thrive, as we continue to build a better, more prosperous capital for everyone.”

Chief Executive at Institute of Grocery Distribution, Sarah Bradbury:

“Early interactions with employers are vital for opening young people’s eyes to the breadth of career opportunities available and helping prevent them from becoming NEET.”

“We called for food and drink businesses to explore the delivery of modern work experience as part of our Feeding Britain’s Future industry-wide movement and we’re delighted that Sainsbury’s has led the way, becoming one of the first businesses to turn that ambition into action through its new Modern Work Experience Programme.

Together, we can help more young people understand the careers that exist across food and drink and take their first steps towards a rewarding future.”

Chief Executive Officer of The Careers & Enterprise Company, John Yarham:

“Every young person deserves access to high-quality modern experience that gives them a pathway to opportunity, regardless of who they know or where they live. We’re proud to partner with Sainsbury’s and IGD to create more flexible and inclusive opportunities in the food and drink industry.”

“With its scale and reach into communities across the country, Sainsbury’s can make a real difference, helping thousands of young people build the skills, confidence and connections they need to take their best next step.”