The Water Works! Project, which launches next month, is aimed at 14- to 19-year-olds. Groups of 15 young people will use a canal barge, the Roger, to transfer paper from Marks & Spencer's headquarters in London's Paddington to Apsley, Hertfordshire, where it will be recycled by charity Paper Trail.
The programme aims to promote practical skills and direct young people into engineering Apprenticeships, as well as promoting social inclusion.
The young people will load and unload the boat, steer and crew and arrange schedules.
Steve Dazeel, director of Rickmansworth Waterways Trust, said: "The young people will be drawn mainly from Hertfordshire but we are also looking to get kids out from London."
Water Works! has gained funding from Children in Need, the Sir Halley Stewart Trust and its own fundraising efforts. It is recruiting a learning co-ordinator to manage the programme, which is currently being run by volunteers.
"Not only is this a great vocational educational vehicle, it can also be replicated in other areas of the canal," said Dazeel. "We are aiming to get young people in front of employers, but in the next few years we hope people who complete the course will be able to get a qualification."
