The move comes after the former health secretary Alan Milburn warned in a recent report that the 1 million Neets in the UK could rise to 1.25 million over the next five years<\/a> unless ministers intervened.<\/p>\n Milburn, who is leading a review into Britain\u2019s crisis in youth worklessness, welcomed the retailers\u2019 initiative, saying too many young people were stuck in a vicious cycle of \u201cno experience, no job\u201d, leaving them shut out of employment opportunities.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cSix in 10 young people who are Neet have never had a job. Unless we can increase work opportunities, Britain\u2019s Neet crisis will get worse not better.\u201d<\/p>\n Other employers signed up to the scheme include Tesco, New Look<\/a>, Wickes, Currys and Greggs.<\/p>\n The prime minister, Andy Burnham, said: \u201cOpportunities like these can make all the difference, helping young people gain the confidence, skills and connections they need to get started in work.\u201d<\/p>\n The scheme, known as Opening Shift, follows the appointment earlier this year of the former M&S chief executive, Marc Bolland, to head a taskforce<\/a> to tackle the growing youth unemployment crisis.<\/p>\n Bolland, who led the retail chain from 2010 to 2016, has secured the support of retailers for the work placement scheme amid warnings that the country risks a \u201clost generation\u201d without urgent intervention.<\/p>\n Participants will continue to receive universal credit throughout their placement, mainly because of the logistical barriers claimants face when accepting short-term jobs that mean quitting and then rejoining the welfare programme.<\/p>\n The programme was developed with retailers through the British Retail Consortium and the DWP and has 11,305 placements already pledged.<\/p>\n Bolland, who is also a senior non-executive director at the DWP, is understood to have been chosen for the role thanks to his involvement with the charity Movement to Work, which had already helped more than 200,000 unemployed young people find jobs.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cMy work as founder and chairman of Movement to Work showed me first-hand what\u2019s possible when business and government work together to open doors for young people.<\/p>\n
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