Tesco is set to expand its Stronger Starts Apprenticeship programme, introducing five times more places in 2025 and targeting 1,500 apprenticeship opportunities for young people by 2027.

Following the success of an initial cohort of 82 apprentices in 2024, the supermarket giant is expanding this year’s intake to 450 places.

Convenience retailer One Stop, part of the Tesco Group, is also offering 10 Stronger Starts Apprenticeships for the first time, with places available across Coventry, Leicester, Derby, Lancashire, Southampton, Bristol and Plymouth.

According to Tesco, the programme is one of the few apprenticeship schemes in England that does not require applicants to have any qualifications or experience when they start, with apprentices paid the same as shop floor colleagues regardless of age or experience level.

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Designed in partnership with Lifetime Training and the King’s Trust, apprentices participating in the 15-month programme will receive comprehensive training, combining hands-on experience with academic qualifications.

On completion of the programme, apprentices gain the equivalent of five GCSEs, plus Functional Skills qualifications in Maths and English for those who need them. All participants on the scheme will also have the opportunity to become permanent Tesco store colleagues.

Tesco chief people officer Emma Taylor said: “The Stronger Starts programme exemplifies how quality training can help young people make a positive start in their careers and gain essential skills and qualifications. By expanding this initiative, we’re giving even more young people the tools and confidence they need to build a brighter future.”

To help provide more opportunities for young people, Tesco is calling on the UK government to publish a clear timetable for implementing the Growth and Skills Levy, which kickstarts collaborative work on new courses between training providers, employers and government.

Tesco claims this would enable better tailored training and development opportunities across the economy and the labour market.

Taylor added: “To unlock the full potential of programmes like Stronger Starts, we need a skills training system that’s fit for purpose. The Growth and Skills Levy represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reform how training is funded and delivered. With greater flexibility, we could extend our reach and create even more opportunities for those who need them most.”