Tesco has today announced it is launching career clinics across the UK in a bid to help boost social mobility.
The supermarket is highlighting research conducted by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), an independent cross-party think tank, which claims there is a “lost workforce” being held back by barriers such as a lack of careers support and confidence in going through the recruitment process.
More than half (56%) of people surveyed in a poll of more than 1,000 jobseekers by the body said they didn’t feel equipped to compete in the job market. Thirty-six per cent said they underperformed in interviews, and 30% found it difficult to write a CV that appeals to employers.
People affected were most likely to be aged 45 to 64 or 18 to 24, and from disadvantaged backgrounds or without higher education.
Tesco, the UK’s largest private employer, with over 300,000 colleagues across the UK, said it hoped to support over 1,000 people in November with the free clinics, specifically targeted in areas that face higher deprivation and economic challenges.
The clinics would be free to attend and would aim to give people life skills and confidence to go forward into work, whether they were looking for a job at Tesco, or anywhere else, it said.
Anyone who attends will also be guaranteed an interview as part of Tesco’s festive recruitment drive.
Tesco is also calling on the government to make it easier for businesses to provide training and reskilling opportunities to its employees, including implementing the Growth & Skills Levy as a priority to enable people at all levels of attainment to access more modular and targeted training.
“The findings of this report are hugely important,” said Tesco CEO Ken Murphy. “Millions of people are not working because they don’t feel ‘good enough’ to even apply for a role – due to their background or education, or any number of factors that should have no bearing on their ability.
“Everyone is welcome at Tesco and I have always been a big believer in the power of retail as an employer. The geographic reach and variety of roles means that a job in retail can help anyone to get on, wherever they live and whatever their background. I hope the Career Clinics we are launching will help give people a confidence and skills boost where it’s sorely needed, and that the changes we have made to our recruitment processes will give more people a chance to find flexible and rewarding opportunities at Tesco.
Jake Shepherd, co-author of the report and senior researcher at the Social Market Foundation, said: ”Despite including more than six million people, the lost workforce is often overlooked by standard definitions and metrics.
“Our analysis includes not just the unemployed but also some of those considered economically inactive, such as individuals with caregiving responsibilities or people discouraged by a lack of opportunities.”
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