Asda hits out at the training red tape

The Leeds-based retailer announced yesterday it will offer rewarding work experience placements to 15,000 teenagers as part of a wider pledge to give hope to "a lost generation".

Asda said the 14-16-year-olds will get the chance to work in stock control, delivery and customer services this year.

It also revealed plans for 15,000 of its workers to take part in a 12-week apprenticeship programme to improve their training and skills.

Andy Clarke, the chief operating officer of Asda, said the measures would help give self-respect and optimism to young people, but he urged policymakers to play their own part by simplifying rules and regulations.

In a speech to an industry conference, he said: "There are lessons to be learnt from the over-complication of our skills system.

"To put it politely – the current system doesn't exactly go out of its way to make things easy for employers.

"We pride ourselves in providing our colleagues with the best possible training, focusing on the content of training, rather than the regulations surrounding it.

"But trying to do this has opened my eyes to how complicated the current national skills structure is. It's shown me the huge amount of bureaucracy that employers have to cut through."

Mr Clarke added: "There's an awful lot of paperwork that needs to be filled out and while we fully appreciate the importance of compliance, for a business that is used to moving at a fast pace, it can be a real hindrance.

"Don't forget, we employ more than 165,000 colleagues across our stores nationwide.

"We have an accredited team of internal trainers who are responsible for making sure our colleagues are trained to the highest standards, from food safety to health and safety – areas which could potentially kill people if we get it wrong. That's how serious our training is.

"And yet when it comes to apprenticeships, the system doesn't trust a company of our size to get it right.

"It's madness. This is not a political point; it's a practical one.

"Whichever party is in government after the election, it's vital that they sit down with leaders of the grocery industry and establish a simpler route through the tangle of bureaucracy.

"In May, June and July, the class of 2010 will be leaving school and the unemployment problems will escalate.

"One in five young people out of work could easily move closer to being one in four."

Mr Clarke, who left school with one O-level, said: "It's up to all of us to open doors to young people, to raise their eyes to the horizon and then beyond."