The supermarket giant offering around 10,000 work experience and skills opportunities to help young people gain experience, build confidence and prepare for work.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: ‘The youth unemployment crisis has been ignored for too long. This Government is making it a top priority and bringing back hope. 

‘Last month we announced a shake-up of the education system, with the launch of new prestigious technical educational routes. Now we're bringing employers, schools and colleges together to close the gap between the classroom and the workplace.'

The programme, launching from October, will target schools with higher levels of free school meal uptake and communities where young people face some of the biggest barriers to work.

The move followed the Government's announcement of 300,000 work experience and training places in June and former health secretary Alan Milburn's warning that Britain is at 'risk of lost generation' due to the NEET crisis.

Milburn said: ‘For too long work experience has been treated as an afterthought. Yet 6 in 10 young people who are NEET have never had a job. 

‘Employers say lack of experience is the single biggest barrier to hiring young people - and young people say exactly the same. It's a vicious cycle and it's holding Britain back.

‘Sainsbury's is helping break that cycle, reaching the communities where young people face the biggest barriers. It's exactly the kind of practical action employers can take now, while we build the fuller response this problem demands.'