Sainsbury’s new Modern Work Experience Programme aims to create around 10,000 opportunities over the next year for young people to develop skills, build confidence and gain insight into future careers.

The supermarket described the programme as “a fresh take on the idea of a week’s work placement”. It follows research that showed repeated, meaningful engagement with employers at school can reduce the risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) by 80 per cent.

Instead of a one-off, young people get a series of real, hands-on experiences with employers over time. This includes practical skills sessions, meeting colleagues and store visits, in a bid to help them building confidence and a proper feel for the world of work. They’ll 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 we can make the biggest difference, particularly those with a high proportion of schools offering free school meals, and young people not in employment, education or training, helping connect education with real-world opportunities.

KickStarter, Sainsbury’s own programme, has been designed and will be run by Sainsbury’s Early Careers Team, colleagues, stores and Store Support Centres. This 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 stressed that: “Too often, work experience depends on who you know rather than what you can do. Many young people leave education without access to employers, workplace networks or a clear understanding of the opportunities available to them. And with over one million young people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training  – more than one in eight – this has become an urgent national challenge.”

Sainsbury’s KickStarter Scheme

Sainsbury’s KickStarter scheme will bring together two connected pathways designed to support young people at different stages of their journey:

KickStarter Explore (14–18 years)

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 wide range of careers available at Sainsbury’s and the wider retail sector.

KickStarter Insights (16–24 years)

This programme is co-designed and delivered in partnership with Sainsbury’s Early Careers team, youth employment charity Movement to Work and specialist partner Aim a Little Higher. These regional employability workshops will help young people strengthen communication skills, prepare for interviews and applications and take their next step into work.

More than 5,000 places will be delivered through KickStarter Explore and over 200 through KickStarter Insights. Following our support of the pilot with IGD and the CEC, Sainsbury’s will deliver an additional 5,000 opportunities through its own programmes.

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Alongside its own KickStarter programme, Sainsbury is a founding participant in a pilot with the CEC, the IGD and other retailers to develop a new industry approach to work experience for 14-18-year-olds. The pilot will inform plans to expand opportunities across Sainsbury’s store network from 2027, helping more young people access meaningful workplace experience in their local communities.

Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive, 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.

“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.”

Last week, Morrisons announced its own fully-funded apprenticeship qualification and leadership training programme, to give young people the opportunity to build long-term careers in retail management and leadership.