This morning I was called up by The Jeremy Vine Show on Channel 5 to kick the tyres and give an opinion on Andy Burnham’s government’s attempt to get a million 18-24s off benefits and into work.

On the face of things getting youngsters known as NEETs (Not in Education, Employment of Training) into jobs has to be a good idea, right? Hard to argue with such a worthy scheme you might think, since surely some of its targets will end up with a job.

Sadly, this cunning plan concocted by the British Retail Consortium supposedly to break the ‘no-experience no job doom loop’ has everything needed to boost employment among young Brits except actual jobs. You could say, as I did this morning on the telly, that the only job involved is a ‘con-job’ where large retailers like Asda, Greggs and Tesco have managed to finagle 16 million hours of work without having to part with a single penny.

The plan is for the high street retailers to provide up to 100,000 four-week work experience opportunities for 18-24 years olds who are currently NEET and receiving benefits. The dole money keeps flowing during the month-long placements and at the end there is no obligation for the retailer to offer anyone a job.

Is it just me or does this sound quite a lot like slave labour?