High street retailer Next is to recruit 1,000 new employees as part of a major new apprenticeship programme.

The new programme has been supported and backed by the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS), which oversees the delivery of apprenticeships across the England.

The ‘Next Retail Apprentice Programme’ has launched with adverts appearing across the company’s 550 stores and via a massive internet campaign.

The new hires will be recruited from across the country and will then start an intensive six-month programme run by training company Pera Training. Once completed the candidates will gain a Level 2 Apprenticeship consisting of a Level 2 Diploma in retail, a Certificate in retail knowledge and key skills, (literacy and numeracy).

The programme has been welcomed by the government, which has committed an additional half a billion pounds to apprenticeships and training in an effort to upskill the UK’s workforce and help tackle the 1m young people classed as not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

Skills minister, John Hayes MP, says: “The commitment by Next to train 1,000 young people using modern apprenticeships is great news and shows the flexibility and versatility of the apprenticeship. I look forward to hearing more about the Next Programme and perhaps in the future meeting some of the young people who have been recruited and qualified under the programme.

“The Coalition is firmly committed to up-skilling the UK’s workforce and is deploying significant additional resources to boost training. We view apprenticeships as a major part of this strategy. Over the last year thanks to support from the Government the number of apprenticeships have risen by 113,000, the largest rise in the UK’s history.”