Tesco
is extending its Swap Shop initiative to allow cash-strapped students to swap
stores during university holidays, so they can continue working in their home
town without the hassle of searching for a new job.
This
follows a successful trial in Scotland last December of a UCAS-style clearing
house for students keen to transfer their term-time jobs to their home stores
during the holidays.
Students
can arrange a hassle-free transfer to their home store with one simple call to
a national hotline. Once their holiday is over, they simply return to their
term-time store as normal.
The
number of students working for the UK’s largest private employer has hit an
all-time high of 25,300, as they battle to make ends meet and finance their
university education.
Typical
jobs include general assistants, cashiers and dotcom pickers. General
assistants earn £5.16 per hour.
Miranda
Clarke, head of resourcing at Tesco, said: “Students are finding it
increasingly difficult to make ends meet while at university and as a vital
part of our workforce (11 per cent), Tesco is keen to support them as much as
possible.
“We
want to make it as easy for students to work and this scheme allows them to
work during term-time and also at home during the holiday periods.”