• More than one in four young people are worried about their future career prospects due to Coronavirus crisis, and half (49 per cent) think that it will be “harder than ever” to get a job
• With restrictions still in place on many office places, together with the Prince’s Trust, Boots UK has launched a new virtual Work Inspiration Programme, offering young people a chance to learn new skills and take part in employability workshops

Running with support of the Prince’s Trust the virtual Work Inspiration work experience programme will help young people to grow their confidence, learn about the world of work, develop and build their skills and help them to make a more informed career choice decisions. In its new virtual format, it will also allowing greater accessibility to more young people from across the whole of the UK, and has capacity to run multiple times throughout the year.

Hayley Dennett, Recruitment Manager, Early Careers and Education, Boots UK, said: “At Boots, we know now more than ever, young people need all the help they can get as they transition from education to the world of work.  They need clear guidance and support as they navigate a very challenging job market and we are proud this new virtual programme can offer this.”

The two day programme, run between 12 and 13 August will support young people from The Prince's Trust, Schools in Nottinghamshire and Business in the Community. Taking place over Microsoft Teams, participants will join skills and employability workshops, take part in a business challenge, virtually meet some of our apprentices and graduates and finally, learn more about the many career pathways we have at Boots.  These sessions will also be supported by Skills Builder Partnership and Babington College.

This is the 10^th year that Boots has run its Work Inspiration programme. In this time, it has opened the doors to its Nottingham Support Office to over 1,000 young people from the local community for a valuable week of learning and work experience.

Together with the Prince’s Trust, Boots wants to empower the next generation by providing meaningful opportunities that give young people the skills, confidence and self-esteem to enjoy healthier and happier lives, regardless of background.

Over the last 12 months together with the Prince’s Trust, Boots has engaged over 180 young people supported by offering opportunities across Boots stores, the Nottingham Support Office and Burton Warehouse, which resulted in 73 of these young people being offered a paid work opportunity.

Basil took part in the Boots Step into Warehousing programme developed with The Prince’s Trust. After successfully completing a two week work placement he was offered a role as a Warehouse Operative.

“Having a long term job has given me consistency, a routine and helped me to develop my skills. I have learnt to work in a team and feel more confident communicating with people”