Former M&S Boss Called Up As Youth Joblessness Soars

The government has appointed former Marks & Spencer chief executive Marc Bolland to help tackle the UK's growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), amid warnings that the country risks creating a “lost generation” without urgent intervention.

Bolland, who also previously led Morrisons and held senior roles at Heineken, has been appointed Lead Non-Executive Director at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). His role will focus on helping deliver the government's Youth Guarantee, which aims to ensure every young person aged 18 to 21 has access to employment, education or training opportunities.

The appointment comes just days after an interim review led by former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn highlighted the scale of the challenge facing young people across the UK. The review found that around one million people aged 16 to 24 are currently not in education, employment or training, equivalent to around one in eight young people. It warned that without significant reform, that figure could rise to 1.25 million within five years.

According to the Office for National Statistics, youth unemployment reached 16.2 per cent in the three months to March, the highest level in more than a decade.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said Bolland’s appointment sends a “clear signal” that the government is serious about tackling youth unemployment. He cited Bolland’s experience in business and his work with the charity Movement to Work, which has helped more than 200,000 unemployed young people find employment opportunities.

As founder and chairman of Movement to Work, Bolland has spent more than a decade helping young people facing barriers to employment gain workplace experience and access to jobs. In his new government role, he will work with employers, charities and other organisations to expand opportunities for young people, including those with disabilities or health conditions.

The government has already announced plans to support 300,000 new work experience and training placements over the next three years, backed by major employers across sectors including construction, hospitality and retail.

Bolland said he believed the government was serious about addressing what he described as a “generational crisis” and stressed that close collaboration between business and government would be essential in creating meaningful pathways into work for young people.

The issue has attracted growing attention from business leaders in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Next chief executive Lord Wolfson warned of a sharp decline in entry-level jobs, saying competition for retail roles had intensified significantly and highlighting the wider challenges facing young people trying to enter the workforce.