The former chief executive of Marks & Spencer has been drafted in by the Government to help get more young people into work.
Marc Bolland has been tasked with bringing business leaders together to expand opportunities for young people and deliver the Government’s “youth guarantee” for every person aged 18 to 21 to have access to employment, training or education.
Mr Bolland will also advise Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden on responding to Alan Milburn’s review into young people not in employment, education or training (Neet).
Unveiling the first report from his review of the youth joblessness, former cabinet minister Mr Milburn said the number of Neet young people had passed a million and warned of the prospect of a “lost generation”.
He also warned of a moral and economic “crisis” posed by rising numbers of Neets.
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 for young people over the next three years.
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.
Mr McFadden said: “Marc 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.”
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.”
