Former M&S boss drafted in to help ministers tackle NEET crisis

A former chief executive of Marks and Spencer has been appointed by the government to get more than one million young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) into work.

Marc Bolland has been chosen by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden to deliver the "youth guarantee" for every young person aged 18 to 21 to have access to employment, training or education.

Speaking on Sky's Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips, Mr McFadden said that "the experience that he'll bring to this will be really valuable".

Earlier this week, a review by former Labour health secretary Andy Milburn found that one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds are not employed and risk becoming a "lost generation" without urgent intervention.

Mr Milburn also warned of a moral and economic "crisis" posed by the rising number of NEETs.

Meanwhile, figures from the Office for National Statistics suggest youth unemployment reached 16.2% in the three months to March - the highest level in 11 years.

Mr McFadden said Mr Bolland's appointment "sends a clear signal that we are serious about tackling that challenge".

"His track record in business and through Movement to Work make him uniquely placed to bring employers together and open up real opportunities for young people who need them most," he added.

As well as running Marks & Spencer, Mr Bolland was chief executive of Morrisons and chief operating officer at Heineken.

In 2012, he founded the charity Movement to Work in response to the previous year's riots, helping more than 200,000 disadvantaged young people into work.

Read more from Sky News:
Number of heatwave open water deaths rises to 15
Police mount investigation after rare miniature horses stolen

Speaking about his new appointment, Mr Bolland said: "I believe the government is serious about tackling this generational crisis of youth unemployment, and I know that working hand in hand with business to support young people gives them the best possible chance of success."

After the release of Mr Milburn's report, the government announced some of Britain's biggest businesses would back 300,000 work experience and training placements - from construction to hospitality - for young people over the next three years.

(c) Sky News 2026: Former M&S boss drafted in to help ministers tackle NEET crisis