No Limits: Retail’s five best apprentice schemes – and why they can’t be a Covid casualty

Over the last decade, apprenticeship schemes have become more prevalent as a way for young people to enter the world of work after finishing school, particularly for those who do not wish to go to university.

Participants learn on the job, earn a wage, and gain a qualification, and can often secure long term employment after completing their training. 

However, amid the coronavirus pandemic, some apprenticeship schemes have been put on hold as businesses cut costs, threatening their future as employment options.

In May, apprenticeships fell 60% year on year, according to figures from the Department for Education. 

RetailTrust director of change, people and learning Amy Prendergast says: “We have seen a lot of apprentices being made redundant or put on furlough and they were already on low wages.

“There’s also been situations where they may only be a couple of months away from completing their training, but have been unable to because of Covid, which means you’re a qualification down and have essentially lost your job.”

Retailers such as East of England Co-op and Ao.com, which has been lauded for its scheme in the past, have paused apprenticeships for the foreseeable future.

Although AO’s current class of apprentices is still training, the retailer is not taking in a new cohort while working from home is a necessity.

Unfortunately, this comes at a time when young people are struggling to get into employment.

According to research by McKinsey, 45% of the most at-risk jobs due to the pandemic are held by people aged 35 or under, leaving fewer options for school leavers.

While apprenticeships may be on the back burner for some retailers, they remain essential to keep a new flow of talent through the sector and ultimately benefit retailers’ future plans.

In the short term, retail businesses get an influx of new talent, energy and ideas. In the long term, they are able to mould apprentices to become their future talent and leaders, learning the business from the ground up.

Retail Week shines a light on some of the sector’s best apprenticeship schemes.

The best apprenticeship for career progression: Superdrug

Superdrug has been offering apprenticeships for the last 11 years with roles that start in-store but can lead to progression across the business.  

More than 85% of Superdrug’s apprentices go on to secure a permanent position and 44% progress to a key management role. In 2017, 10% received a promotion within a year. 

The retailer also has a completion rate 10% higher than the government average in retail.

By starting out on the shop floor, all apprentices receive the same start to their career and can then go on to progress at their own pace.

A Superdrug spokesperson says: “We think our ability to offer a clear pathway to progression is a fundamental part of the success with our programme.”

Superdrug’s primary programme includes a thirteen-month contract which involves training in-store, one-on-one tutoring and workshops with other apprentices.

In 2019, it launched a logistics apprenticeship and a fast-track apprenticeship-to-assistant manager role. 

In January, the health and beauty chain reached a record number of 500 apprentices for its incoming class. 

Superdrug has also launched its Apprenticeship Diversity Champion Network and Apprenticeship Diversity Ambassadors to improve diversity and inclusion in its scheme. For Superdrug, this has meant putting in place measures to ensure a fair, diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome and can be themselves, including inclusive leadership training for all senior managers to prevent unconscious bias.

The best apprenticeship for mentoring: Dixons Carphone

Dixons Carphone ranks as the top retail apprenticeship scheme according to the Times Educational Supplement. The electricals retailer offers two-year schemes, ranging from retail, corporate, distribution and technology.

Apprentices have weekly one-to-ones with management mentors in-store, compared with the standard of monthly meetings.

It also offers live digital training events and demonstrations as well as individual product training from colleagues in store.

Apprentices are welcome to every meeting their manager attends, to expose themselves to different areas of the business and help formulate a plan for their future careers.

Apprentices have also commented on the varied and exciting social calendar Dixons provides, bringing apprentices together to network and make friends. 

The retailer offers a competitive salary that rises after the completion of the first 12 months of training and at the end of the college course.

Laura Hunter, who started as apprentice repair engineer almost six years ago, has now progressed to designate first line manager.

“Being an apprentice taught me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it,” she says.

”I never imagined I would spend my time repairing electrical products and when I started, I didn’t think I would be able to. The apprenticeship gave me the essential foundations needed to be a successful repair engineer and I have gained a wealth of new skills and qualifications that I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to if it hadn’t been for the apprenticeship.

“In my new role, I’ll be looking after teams ranging from 10 to 40 colleagues, where I will be completing a team-leading apprenticeship and hopefully, I can now support others to follow their paths in a similar way.”

The best apprenticeship for pay and benefits: THG

Health and beauty tech firm THG (formerly The Hut Group), which owns brands such as MyProtein and Glossybox, offers a range of tech-focused apprenticeship schemes.

Notably, it provides rotational apprenticeships, which allow employees to gain experience across a variety of different job functions within a particular division. Its beauty marketing apprenticeship, for example, includes experience across social media, pay-per-click, SEO, influencer marketing and paid media.

THG offers a competitive range of benefits including a high base salary as well as £100 bonus for each month of full attendance.

THG’s apprentices also receive staff discounts across all brands, discounted gym memberships in the local area and are eligible for the company-wide bonus.

The beauty retailer is focused on driving future talent through its 13-to-15-month programmes, many of which result in a job with the company.

Notably, the group is continuing to offer apprenticeships despite the current economic situation, which MP for Northwich – where its HQ is based – Graham Evans has praised.

“We’re very grateful to have such an enlightened employer to help our young community to thrive and develop key ecommerce skills that will prove invaluable in the future,” Evans said.

Since the beginning of the year, THG has continued to invest in its programme, taking on 120 apprentices in the last 12 months, with plans to triple the intake in 2021.

The best apprenticeship for unique roles: Fortnum & Mason

Luxury department store Fortnum & Mason began its apprenticeship scheme in 2015 and has since been a great advocate for the apprenticeship levy fund.  

People director Fiona French, who also sits on the Retail Apprenticeship Board, says: “Although our levy investment is not large in comparison to some organisations, we decided to take a strategic approach to ensure we could offer valuable experiences to potential apprentices and get the best return for our business and our people.

“We spent time understanding how the apprenticeships would work in our business, the implications of apprentices spending 20% of their time learning off the job, how we would manage the training required to meet the new apprenticeship standards and what additional on-costs the business would have to meet.”

Fortnum & Mason has found ways to flexibly allow apprentices to spend 20% of their time learning off the job, as is required by the levy fund, without the need for full day release.

The scheme covers everything from wine waiter to warehouse manager to steampunk tea machine operator to beekeeper.

As a British institution, Fortnum & Mason prides itself on its customer service delivered by its expert staff and its apprentices are expected to perform at the same level.

Apprentices are initially enrolled in an immersive two-week programme to learn more about company philosophy and what the job entails before beginning in-store.

They then complete a two-year scheme divided into clear modules including the basics of customer service, workplace policies and laws, financial management and counter-terrorism training.

They are invited to staff events such as Christmas and summer parties and also receive discounts in-store and at its restaurants.

The best apprenticeship for hands-on learning: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s offers 40 different apprenticeship programmes, including the first UK scheme for horticulture and agriculture.

Recognising the lack of new talent in the field, Sainsbury’s has been on a drive since 2015 to persuade young people to go into farming.

Each year, Sainsbury’s takes on 12 farming apprentices for a year-long scheme where they learn everything from the digital infrastructure of glasshouse computer systems to managing crop growth through the use of drones and smartphone apps.

They also get 44 days of off-the-job training visiting growers throughout Sainsbury’s supply chain and have a guaranteed interview to work directly for a supplier at the end of the scheme.

Sainsbury’s grew its initial apprenticeships, which consisted of just two job functions – bakery and fish – to 40 from 2015.

It identified each and every area of the business where an apprenticeship could learn new skills and fulfil Sainsbury’s needs today and in the future.

Other apprenticeship functions include software development, in which 10 applicants take part in a two-year programme at the grocer’s digital lab in London.

All apprentices initially take part in a six-week bootcamp to learn the basics of coding and developing before beginning work with its tech team on projects including its online grocery, clothing website and banking.

Sainsbury’s told the BRC in February it is seeking to grow its schemes over the next five years, developing its tech and retail stores offers.