More than 40 major retailers have joined The British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Department for Work and Pensions to launch a work experience programme aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds who are not in employment, education or training.

Opening Shift will see voluntary placements run for between two and four weeks, with participants working between 16 and 35 hours a week, while continuing to receive Universal Credit.

More than 11,300 placements have already been pledged by grocers including Aldi, Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and the John Lewis Partnership. Retail giants Amazon, Boots, Currys, Greggs, JD Sports, New Look, Pets at Home and Primark will also offer placements.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said retail was “uniquely placed to make a difference” because of the sector’s scale and presence across the country.

She added that work experience represented a first step but warned that retailers would also need the right conditions to invest and create more entry-level positions.

Retail and its supply chain currently account for almost a quarter of youth employment in Britain.

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At the end of August, Morrisons announced a new fully-funded apprenticeship qualification and leadership training programme to give young people the opportunity to build long-term careers in retail management and leadership.

To support the government’s agenda to reduce unemployment within 18-24 year olds, Morrisons is working collaboratively with IGD, the BRC and other businesses across the retail and grocery industry. It aims to provide work experience, as well as engage with schools and initiatives to help more young people move into employment.

While, Sainsbury’s new Modern Work Experience Programme is designed 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.