The John Lewis Partnership is the UK’s largest employee-owned business and owned in Trust by 80,000 Partners.

We are proud to be a signatory of the Care Leaver Covenant and have signed the Care Leaver Friendly Employer Charter as a pledge of our commitment.

Our purpose: Working in Partnership for a happier world

Our Partnership is an ongoing experiment to find happier, more trusted ways of doing business, for the benefit of us all.

We work together to create a successful business and a fairer, more sustainable future for our partners, customers and communities.

Our Partnership is owned entirely in trust by Partners which means we are more than employees, we share knowledge, power and profit.

Our purpose inspires our principles, drives our decisions and acts as our guide

Our business operates two retail brands John Lewis and Waitrose. As well as opportunities within our John Lewis and Waitrose shops in roles such as selling, operations and catering, there are a variety of career options in our head offices, hospitality and supply chain locations.

Our commitment to the care experienced community

 We have three long term commitments:

1. Be the employer of choice for young people who are care experienced. We want to support young people leaving the care system into meaningful long-term employment at the John Lewis Partnership or with other employers.

2. Support children in care to equip them for happier futures through partnerships with the voluntary and charity sectors.

3. Raise awareness of the inequalities faced by those who are care experienced, empowering them to tell their own stories in their own words.

Creation of Building Happier Futures Advisory Group to guide our work.

The Building Happier Futures employment programme

Our Building Happier Futures employment programme is an ongoing scheme to identify and recruit talented young people who’ve experienced care to become Partners in our business.

We have developed a supported employment approach in partnership with local authorities and charities, including Drive Forward and the Rees Foundation. Including work experience, guidance on CV writing and interview skills, as well as a guaranteed interview, this approach gives young people who are care experienced an opportunity to truly explore our business and start a meaningful career.

We are still learning, adapting and perfecting this approach, and it is important to note that not all of our Partnership locations are currently offering the programme, but we are working towards expanding our reach. We are currently working within London, Birmingham, Manchester, Essex and Nottingham with an ambition to triple the number of locations offering the Building Happier Futures employment programme throughout 2023 and 2024.

In time we would like to launch dedicated apprenticeships for care leavers and offer financial support for young people who have been in care to pursue further education.

We’re keen to work with small businesses, charities and community organisations that want to hire or further the career of someone who is care experienced. We will also fund apprenticeship course costs to help other employers that want to recruit young people from care.

What can the John Lewis Partnership offer you

Advance access to mentor and interview bank (interview practice supported by trained Partners in our business) for all applicants who self-identify as Care Experienced.

• All Care Experienced people joining our business will have their own buddy from day 1 of employment and access to free internal coaching and mentoring by our trained Partners across the business.
• Access to training opportunities through Apprenticeship and Training programs.

Health & Wellbeing support

• Access to our internal Care Experience Network for Partners, which currently has 170 members.
• Free access to the UNMIND mental health app*
• Flexible working policies
• Market leading Parental Leave policy for up to 6 months
• 20% Waitrose and 25% discount at John Lewis (12% on some items)*
• A yearly 50% leisure learning subsidy up to £250 on courses run by a tutor or recognised instructor qualified to teach the subject, (some exclusions apply).
• Confidential Health & Wellbeing support with an internal wellbeing practioner.
• Free access to VITA health group online classes in topics such as: Anxiety, Diet & Nutrition, Strength and Balance, Stretch and Flex, Pilates, Pain Management and Managing Change.
• Access to PartnerChoice which is our discounts and exclusive benefits website. This contains perks such as booking to stay at our Partnership hotel locations across the UK, VIP Suites at venues such as the O2 Arena, discounts on cinema tickets, days our and partnership exclusive use days at Merlin attractions such as Legoland, Thorpe Park (Fright Night) and Alton Towers plus much more.

Exclusive use days at Merlin attractions such as Legoland, Thorpe Park (Fright Night) and Alton Towers plus much more.