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.
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“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.”