Marks & Spencer is doing what the government can't. Or won't. The retail giant has announced a £100 million investment in youth traineeships, a move the Treasury is already branding a 'blueprint for a national skills revival.'
Let's be clear: this is a big number. Even for M&S. But the real story is the political cover it provides. Number 10 has been struggling for a coherent skills narrative. The apprenticeship levy is a mess. Further education is underfunded. And the youth unemployment figures are getting uglier by the month.
So along comes M&S with a shiny new programme. 10,000 traineeships over five years. Retail, logistics, supply chain. The sectors that actually hire young people. The Treasury was quick to sign off on the press release. 'A template for private sector-led skills,' they called it. That's the phrase they want us to use.
But here's the question no one is asking: why does it take a supermarket to fix a national crisis? The government's own skills agenda is in tatters. The Lifetime Skills Guarantee is unravelling. The Unit for Future Skills is producing reports no one reads. And now they're clinging to a corporate initiative as evidence they have a plan.
The timing is suspicious. Polling shows skills and youth unemployment are rising up voters' priority lists. Labour is making noise about a 'youth guarantee.' The Treasury needs a win. M&S gave them one.
What's in it for M&S? Plenty. Good PR. A pipeline of trained staff. And influence. The company has been lobbying for changes to the apprenticeship levy for years. This traineeship scheme doesn't count as an apprenticeship, so it bypasses the levy rules entirely. Convenient.
Inside Whitehall, there's a mix of relief and envy. Relief because someone is spending money on youth training. Envy because M&S can do it without parliamentary scrutiny. No select committees. No spending reviews. No opposition MPs demanding answers.
But will it work? The detail is thin. The traineeships are 'paid,' but no salary figures have been released. The number of jobs guaranteed at the end is unclear. And the geographical spread is heavily skewed towards London and the South East.
The real test will be whether other firms follow. If this becomes a genuine blueprint, the Treasury will claim success. If it remains a one-off, the cracks will show.
For now, the lobby has its line. 'Business stepping up where government fails.' That's the story they want told. But the backbench is restless. Some Conservative MPs are asking why the state is outsourcing its responsibilities to a clothing retailer. Labour is keeping quiet, for now. They don't want to be seen criticising private sector investment.
The bottom line: this is a smart move by M&S and a lifeline for a Treasury that needed one. But a blueprint? Only if you ignore the crumbling foundations of the skills system it's meant to replace.
