Very helps young people Kickstart their careers

The Very Group, operator of online retailers Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, has welcomed 11 new recruits to its customer care, tech bar and colleague experience teams as part of the UK government’s Kickstart scheme.

The roles, which were open via Job Centre Plus to 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit, will provide work experience at Very’s Liverpool-based HQ over the next six months.

The retailer will supplement the Kickstarters’ government funded wage, and expects a number of the new recruits to have the opportunity to apply for permanent roles at the end of their placements.

Our #Kickstarter's have had the 'Very welcome' this week, getting to know:
👩‍💻 Our tech
📍 Our workplace
💖 Our values
💬 Our people
📸 Our Very sign (swipe for photoshoot!)
We look forward to supporting them in their new roles! #LifeAtTheVeryGroup pic.twitter.com/RUUwsRPtIB
— The Very Group (@TheVeryGroup) July 30, 2021

To deliver the programme, it has partnered with The Prince’s Trust, which will provide the Kickstart colleagues with employability webinars, one-to-one pastoral support and inspirational talks from Prince’s Trust Young Ambassadors, as well as helping them with their next steps post-placement.

In addition, The Trust will run training sessions to support Very’s Kickstart mentors.

Sarah Willett, Chief People Officer at The Very Group, says: “We’ve been so impressed by our new Kickstart colleagues’ energy, positivity and willingness to learn during their first couple of weeks.”

“Young people have so much to offer and the right opportunities at this age can make all the difference to their lives and careers. We’re looking forward to seeing them grow into their new roles over the next six months.”

Very plans to onboard further cohorts of Kickstart colleagues to the customer care team in Liverpool and fulfilment team at Skygate, its distribution and returns centre in the East Midlands, over the next few months, taking the total number of roles created to around 30.