Asda has called on the Government to reassess its plans to defund leadership and management apprenticeships, as it published an annual report which highlights the impact of the scheme.

Last year the supermarket retailer invested £2.7m in apprenticeship training, which helped over 200 workers complete programmes, alongside their day jobs.

Asda has expanded to offer 85 programmes, with half of colleagues that completed an apprenticeship since 2024 securing a promotion.

James Goodman, Asda’s chief people officer, said: “Apprenticeships are central to helping colleagues build the skills they need to thrive and to developing the next generation of retail leaders.

“We’re proud to offer high-quality programmes that grow talent within Asda and support small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) to upskill their teams.”

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The retailer spent £1.15m in levy transfers, which supported 165 apprentices across 80 SMEs in London, Leicester, West Yorkshire and Manchester.

Asda introduced the levy in 2017 and has since invested £19m and supported over 2,700 staff members through levy-funded apprenticeships.

However, the retailer’s report showed that £11.7m of the supermarket’s levy expired due to restrictions on how employers can deploy their funds.

According to the business, the Government’s reforms of apprenticeships in the UK will make it more difficult for young people to get more permanent jobs in retail.

Goodman said: “The current funding system is holding employers back, with millions in levy funding going unused because of restrictive rules.

“Reports that the Government plan to defund leadership apprenticeships would clearly be a further backward step, that would cut off proven progression routes and weaken the sector’s ability to develop future leaders.”