RCS - JD Sports Fashion - HRH PRINCE OF WALES MEETS JD KICKSTART RECRUITS

JD Sports FashionAnnouncement

11/05/2022 15:30

For best results when printing this announcement, please click on link below:
http://newsfile.refinitiv.com/getnewsfile/v1/story?guid=urn:newsml:reuters.com:20220511:nRSK1545La&default-theme=true

RNS Number : 1545L  JD Sports Fashion Plc  11 May 2022

11 May 2022

JD SPORTS WELCOMES HRH THE PRINCE OF WALES AT LONDON STORE TO MEET YOUNG
PEOPLE HELPED INTO WORK BY THE PRINCE'S TRUST AND KICKSTART SCHEME

·      Partnership with The Prince's Trust on a national rollout of the
Kickstart Scheme

·      JD Group has enrolled more than 1,000 Kickstarters in the past
year

Today, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales visited the JD Sports Walworth
store, South London, to meet with young people recruited by the JD Group, the
leading retailer of sports, fashion and outdoor brands, and supported by The
Prince's Trust through the UK Government's Kickstart Scheme.

The Prince's Trust Founder and President visited the JD Sports branch to meet
with JD Kickstart recruits. He was joined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, JD Executive Chairman Peter Cowgill, and CFO Neil
Greenhalgh. Together, they heard from young people who were previously
unemployed, but supported by The Prince's Trust and Kickstart scheme, entered
employment with the JD Group.

The JD Group has worked closely with the Department for Work and Pensions and
The Prince's Trust on a national rollout of the Kickstart Scheme, creating
roles for unemployed young people. Since April 2021, the JD Group has enrolled
over 1,000 Kickstarters across its retail, distribution centre, JD Gyms and
head office operations. For those who completed their placement, the Group has
provided many offers of permanent employment and apprenticeship programmes
with JD.

The Group recognises the prevalence of social inequality in the UK and feels
passionate about reducing barriers to entry to employment for young people who
are socially and economically disadvantaged. JD is proud of its partnership
with The Prince's Trust, a charity which gives young people the confidence and
practical support needed to secure employment and stabilise their lives. Youth
unemployment peaked at almost 15% at the height of the pandemic, and
unemployment can have longstanding implications on young people's futures. The
Kickstart scheme, alongside The Trust's employability support, has provided
young people with the skills and experience they need for work.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: "The Kickstart scheme has
transformed thousands of young lives, helping people get the skills and
experience they need to thrive.

"I was proud to meet some of those young people today, and hear how they have
seized the opportunity of Kickstart with both hands."

Jonathan Townsend, UK Chief Executive of The Prince's Trust said: "At The
Prince's Trust, we know that securing employment can help young people build
stable and fulfilling lives. We have provided vital support to thousands of
young people on the Kickstart Scheme who were at risk of long-term
unemployment.

"By working in partnership with employers in a range of industries, The
Trust's employability programmes provide crucial support to young people
seeking work and help to ensure this generation have the confidence and skills
they need to enter meaningful careers."

Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman at JD Sports Fashion plc, said: "It has been
a privilege to welcome HRH The Prince of Wales and The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
to our Walworth JD Sports branch today. We are proud to employ such inspiring
and talented young people through our partnership with The Prince's Trust and
the Kickstart Scheme and are looking forward to continuing to work together to
support more young people along their career path."

The Kickstart Scheme was setup by the UK Government in response to the impact
of the pandemic and rising numbers of young people at risk of long-term
unemployment. With support from The Trust, more than 4,200 16 - 24-year-olds
have started Kickstart placements with over 50 employers from the retail,
construction, tech, media and hospitality sectors, including more than1,000
with the JD Group.

The Prince's Trust helps tens of thousands of young people each year and three
in four on its programmes move into work, education or training.

ENDS

For more information, please contact Jennifer.Iveson@jdplc.com

 

Notes to Editors:

About the JD Group:

The JD Group (https://www.jdplc.com/) , is a UK-based, FTSE 100 listed, global
multichannel retailer which specialises in the sale of Sports Fashion and
Outdoor footwear and apparel. The JD Group has over 3,400 stores in 32
countries across the globe, with a presence in the UK, USA, Europe and Asia
Pacific.

About The Prince's Trust

The Prince's Trust believes that every young person should have the chance to
succeed, no matter what their background or the challenges they are facing. We
help those from disadvantaged communities and those facing the greatest
adversity by supporting them to build the confidence and skills to live, learn
and earn.

The courses offered by The Trust help young people aged 11-30 to develop
essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities. We
support them to find work because having a job or running a business can lead
to a more stable, fulfilling life.

Since The Trust was founded by The Prince of Wales in 1976 we have helped more
than a million young people across the UK, and three in four of those we
supported over the last five years have moved into work, education or
training.

We are committed to enabling even more young people to create a better future
for themselves. By helping young people today, the benefits for them, their
communities and the wider economy will be felt for years to come.

Further information about The Prince's Trust is available
at princes-trust.org.uk (http://princes-trust.org.uk/)  or on 0800 842
842 (tel:0800%20842%20842) . 

This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact
rns@lseg.com (mailto:rns@lseg.com)
 or visit
www.rns.com (http://www.rns.com/)
.

Reach is a non-regulatory news service. By using this service an issuer is confirming that the information contained within this announcement is of a non-regulatory nature. Reach announcements are identified with an orange label and the word “Reach” in the source column of the News Explorer pages of London Stock Exchange’s website so that they are distinguished from the RNS UK regulatory service. Other vendors subscribing for Reach press releases may use a different method to distinguish Reach announcements from UK regulatory news.

RNS may use your IP address to confirm compliance with the terms and conditions, to analyse how you engage with the information contained in this communication, and to share such analysis on an anonymised basis with others as part of our commercial services. For further information about how RNS and the London Stock Exchange use the personal data you provide us, please see our
Privacy Policy (https://www.lseg.com/privacy-and-cookie-policy)
.   END  NRAFLFLSERILLIF