Ex-M&S chief to help government tackle youth unemployment
Marc Bolland will help the UK government expand job and training chances for young people after a review warned of a possible "lost generation".
Intelligence analysis by GPT-5.4 Mini
The government has tapped former M&S chief Marc Bolland to bring business leaders together and advise on youth unemployment. The move follows a review that warns opportunities are shrinking for many young people and that the number out of work, education or training could rise sharply without action.
Marc Bolland used to run big companies, and now the government wants his help. It wants more young people to get jobs or training.
A report says many teenagers and young adults are stuck without work or school, and the problem could grow bigger. That is a bad sign for the country’s future.
It is a bit like a sports club where too many players never get a chance to join a team. The government wants businesses to open more doors so more young people can start playing.
Analysis
What happened
The UK government has asked Marc Bolland, the former chief executive of Marks & Spencer, to help address youth unemployment. He will work to bring business leaders together to widen opportunities for young people and advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on the government’s response.
Why now
The move follows a review by former minister Alan Milburn, who warned that too many young people face shrinking opportunities. The review says one in six young people could be out of work, education or training in five years if nothing changes. It also found that six in 10 young people in this group, often called Neets, have never had a job, while 84% of those surveyed said they want a job or training.
Scale of the problem
Official figures released alongside the review showed more than one million young people were not in education, employment or training, the highest level in more than 12 years. In response, the government said some of the UK’s biggest businesses would support 300,000 work experience and training placements over the next three years.
Bolland’s background gives the government a private-sector contact with experience in large employers. He also founded Movement to Work in 2012 after the previous year’s riots, with the charity helping more than 200,000 disadvantaged young people into work.
Key points
- Marc Bolland will help the government try to reduce youth unemployment.
- Alan Milburn’s review warns opportunities are shrinking for many young people.
- The review says one in six young people could be out of work, education or training in five years without action.
- Official figures put the number of Neets at more than one million, the highest in over 12 years.
- Businesses have pledged 300,000 work experience and training placements over three years.
