The Co-operative Group has launched an ambitious new Apprenticeship Academy that will offer all young staff transferrable skills, competences and qualifications, as part of its £21m campaign to inspire young people.
The Apprenticeship Academy is a key element of The Co-op’s multi-faceted campaign, created to help “reverse the negative image and treatment of those aged 25 and under and support their future life goals and ambitions”.
The Co-op, which has interests in food, financial services, pharmacy, funerals and travel, will offer its apprentices experience across its diverse family of businesses and the opportunity to work towards a nationally recognised qualification.
As well as creating job opportunities, the eight-point Inspiring Young People campaign will inspire young people to change their world for the better, through co-operative education, opportunities and campaigning.
Group chief executive, Peter Marks, has urged the UK to start considering young people as the “solution and not the problem”.
He said: “Sadly, as a society, we harbour a widespread negative attitude towards young people which doesn’t encourage or inspire them. We believe it is exactly these attitudes that need to change rather than the all too common view that young people have an attitude problem.
“All too often, we see or hear stories which portray youngsters as poorly educated, work-shy and uncaring. As someone who runs a business which employs over 120,000 people, a quarter of whom are under the age of 25, I know this just isn’t true. We must start talking up the young and see them as the solution rather than the problem.
“While our work, through these commitments, will directly benefit 250,000 young people across the UK, we have set our sights far higher. In fact our vision is to help bring about a cultural shift in the way that young people are viewed and treated in this country.”
Source: The Co-op
