7 May 2010 | Lindsay Clark

Sainsbury’s aims to create 100 new jobs among its suppliers through a new “supplier trainee partnerships” project.

Working with 60 of the retailer’s top construction, engineering, facilities management and retail vendors, the scheme aims to provide training opportunities for people in trades that have suffered a shortage of labour and investment during the economic downturn.

Successful applicants will receive a 12-month paid contract to work for suppliers on a variety of Sainsbury’s projects including building new stores and redeveloping existing sites.

The initiative, which starts in July, is open to all unemployed people. The supermarket hopes that all of the trainees will gain full employment from the supplier or enter into higher education once the programme has been completed.

Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury’s commercial director, said: “We have very ambitious and exciting growth plans which, combined with the excellent relationships we have with our suppliers, means we are able to offer these great trainee opportunities. This programme is a real chance for candidates to enjoy a year of unrivalled on-the-job training with companies that are leaders in their fields.

“This is a groundbreaking initiative and we hope that other companies will follow our lead in getting the country working as well as providing meaningful opportunities for unemployed people.”