The Very Group, the owner of the Very and Littlewoods retail brands, is to create 30 new roles as part of the Government’s Kickstart scheme to improve opportunities for young people at risk of long-term unemployment.
Open to 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit via Job Centre Plus, the roles will take the form of a paid six-month placement within Very’s customer care, technology or colleague experience teams.
Successful candidates will be based either at The Very Group’s Liverpool headquarters (pictured) or at its fulfilment centre in the East Midlands. The group said it expects a number of the ‘Kickstarters’ to have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles at the end of the six month period.
The Very Group has teamed up with The Prince’s Trust to deliver the programme which will run from July to December. Chosen applicants will be provided with employability webinars, one-to-one pastoral support and inspirational talks from Prince’s Trust Young Ambassadors. They will also receive help on their next steps post-placement. In addition, the Trust will run training sessions to support Very’s kickstart mentors.
Vicky Ferrier, talent and capability director at The Very Group, said: “When it comes to the jobs market, young people have been disproportionately negatively impacted by the pandemic. But we know they have a huge amount to offer, both to our business and our communities. That’s why Kickstart is so important and why we’re proud to take part.
“By offering genuinely exciting, valuable and supported paid placements across our business – and providing employability skills alongside our partner The Prince’s Trust, we’re confident the chosen applicants will have bright futures ahead of them, whether that’s here at The Very Group or with another employer. We can’t wait to welcome the Kickstarters in July.”
