M&S Opens 1,000 Training Places for Young People — No Degree Required

Marks & Spencer is creating 1,000 training opportunities for young people across the UK and Ireland, with no degree required to apply.

The six-month 'Not Just Any Career' programme is aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds and combines hands-on shop floor experience with leadership training and mentoring from senior colleagues. Successful participants can progress into management roles.

The initiative addresses rising youth unemployment — nearly one million young people in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training. M&S chief executive Stuart Machin, who started his own career collecting shopping trolleys as a teenager, says employers need to create more entry-level opportunities.

Retail Director Thinus Keeve emphasised that retail offers a genuine career path: "You don't need a degree to succeed here; you need attitude, energy, resilience and the willingness to learn."

Applications open on 27 July, with places filled on a rolling basis over the next 18 months. The programme builds on M&S's 20-year partnership with The King's Trust, which has helped over 14,000 people into work.