M&S Jobs UK 2026 brings 1,000 graduate-style training opportunities for young people with no degree required. Learn about the latest M&S career programme, eligibility, leadership training, and how to apply.
M&S Jobs UK 2026: Amazing 1,000 No Degree Training Opportunities Announced
M&S to Open 1,000 Training Roles for Young People in Its Stores – No Degree Required
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New plan Not Just Any Career will create 1,000 graduate-style training spaces for 18-24 year-olds to assist more young people acquire skills and confidence thru retail – no degree needed.
Opportunities will be available in stores around the country, helping to meet the rising challenge of young people not in employment, education or training.
Stuart Machin, M&S CEO, who started his work pushing trolleys at 16, wrote in a recent blog article commissioned by Alan Milburn that “today we’re losing out on limitless potential, and letting down a generation of kids just like me.”[1]
Milburn’s research showed there are around one million 16 to 24s in the UK who are ‘NEET’ – around one in eight young people.[2]
A six month training initiative will place young people on the first rung of the leadership ladder, with the option to advance and create a long-term career as a Store Manager.
Today, M&S is launching Not Just Any Career, a new project which will provide 1,000 training opportunities for young people across the UK and Ireland.
The program is designed to provide doors for those starting their careers and will focus on leadership skills, hands-on experience and clear routes into a retail job for life. There is no need for a degree to apply. This is open to both M&S personnel and external candidates, from school leavers and upwards, but specifically intended for those aged between 18 and 24.
The initiative aims to address the growing youth unemployment crisis by providing young people with practical experience, assistance and a clear path to management. In a blog commissioned by Alan Milburn, M&S CEO Stuart Machin recently looked back on his retail career that started at 16 pushing trolleys:
“A Saturday job can alter a young person’s life. I know, because it changed mine. But when I think of the issues young people face today, I fear that many may not have the same chance. That doesn’t have to be the case – we can do so much more to provide the opportunities, experiences and skills to unlock their confidence and get them into successful careers.
Last week Alan Milburn’s initial report on Young People and Work Review indicated that around one million young people in the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET), approximately one in eight – and predicted to climb to one in six by 2030.
Participants will be given six months’ training, backed up by M&S leaders and shop workers. The initiative will concentrate on practical retail management skills, confidence building and hands-on experience in store. Places are available across the UK and Ireland and successful participants will have the opportunity to go to further training to become a Store Manager within M&S.
Marks & Start, M&S’s long standing relationship, which has helped over 14,000 people into work over 20 years, sits alongside Not Just Any Career. Opportunities for young people were also unveiled this week in a new campaign by His Majesty the King, Sir Gareth Southgate and M&S boss Stuart Machin.
The partnership with the King’s Trust will create a new AI-powered digital platform delivering practical resources, mentoring, skills and real-world opportunities, launching in early 2027 to help young people facing adversity and isolation build confidence, get ready for work and move into stable employment.
Retail is one of the few careers where you can start young, learn fast, lead teams early and build an outstanding future thru hard effort and ambition.
Retail Director Thinus Keeve said:
“Stuart has stated that retail is the engine of the everyday economy and there is no better place to start than on the shopfloor.
At M&S we want to see more young people see retail as a career with real opportunity, real responsibility and real progression, not just a first job.
Here you don’t need a degree to be successful; you need attitude, energy, resilience and a willingness to learn.
This program is about opening doors for the next generation and giving talented young people an opportunity to thrive.”
Applications open on 27 July and placements are made on a rolling basis throughout the year.
There are 1,000 places throughout the next 18 months.
Further information about how to apply, who can apply and where spots are available will be revealed in due course.
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