HEALTH & beauty retailer Superdrug has launched a 'Rise Up to Level Up' campaign to recruit 500 apprentices in the current academic year for roles across its 790 stores in the UK and Ireland.
The campaign, backed by the British Retail Consortium and which is being led by TV star, one-time apprentice and now business owner Tommy Mallet, will double intake over the next three years and focus on five key areas where unemployment among the young is high, but apprenticeship take-up is low.
Apprenticeships are seen as vital to the economic future of the UK and are an important option for young people as they enter the world of work.
Tommy Mallet said: "I am proud Superdrug asked me to be part of this campaign as this is an area that is close to my heart.
"With my ADHD and dyslexia, I didn't have an easy ride at school and Ieft at 16 with no qualifications, before going on to try three different apprenticeships - so I really do have first-hand experience of how a supportive apprenticeship can lead you to the right path.
"It's worrying to think that on receiving their GCSE results, many young people might be confused and unsure about what to do with their future, and left feeling like they may never be able to achieve their career aspirations.
"An apprenticeship can give you such a solid start and a clear route for progression in a career. We need to make sure we're putting these options in front of young people, bringing in as many apprentices as possible and providing the ongoing support for success within programmes."
British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson added: "With retail transformation under way and industry jobs becoming more productive, higher-skilled and better paid, retailers have a wealth of exciting apprenticeships on offer.
"We are proud to support this ambitious Rise-up to Level Up scheme, which will showcase the wide range of career options within retail and grow the number of apprenticeship places, giving hundreds more young people and applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds a rewarding start to their careers.
"It shows how much value retailers place on apprenticeships and the proactive steps they're taking to provide more opportunities for people from diverse walks of life.
"But the industry could go even further if the apprenticeship levy was more flexible, with the option to spend funds on a wider range of training which meets the industry's skills needs.
"Now is the time for government to work with businesses to build an effective apprenticeship system which ensures a steady pipeline of talent and better supports apprentices, today and in the future."
