The Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship is delivered in store and takes a minimum of 12 months to complete. Once you’ve completed your apprenticeship you could even develop further and become a shift leader.

We're offering a permanent 36 hour per week contract. We ask that candidates are flexible as we operate 7-days a week, some weekend work and a mix of early and late shifts will be required.

We can support you in different ways, For instance we can support you with different accessibility tools on the day such as a Screen Reader, Reading Aids and opportunity for larger font.

To become an apprentice, you’ll need to meet the following eligibility criteria:

- You’re a citizen of the United Kingdom or a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) and have been ordinarily resident for at least 3 consecutive years prior to starting your apprenticeship

- You’re not an overseas national subject to employment restrictions or working on a student visa. Further checks on eligibility may be required depending on your individual circumstances

- You’re not planning to return to funded education/training for more than 16 hours per week in the 16 months after you've left school 

- You’ve not already completed an NVQ / diploma qualification or above in retail

Yes, as long as you’ve not already completed an NVQ/diploma qualification or above in retail.

We’re particularly wanting to hear from school leavers who are aged 16-18 years and applicants who were eligible for free school meals and/or attend a state-funded school but as an inclusive employee we welcome applications from all ages.

The Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship is delivered in store and takes a minimum of 12 months to complete, there is no cost, the programme is fully funded.

Our behaviours help us do our best work and enjoy an environment where everyone feels supported. The video interview focuses on these behaviours so have a think about them before hand and try to think of some examples.

Believe in each other

We’re all about building an environment of trust. Trust in each other’s expertise and in our colleagues to collaborate and deliver. That's why we support our leaders to give their teams freedom to choose the best paths to reach our goals.

Stay curious

No matter who you are, there’s always room to learn and grow. Whether that's knowledge and skills or gaining perspectives and insights from your colleagues, everyone's voice is heard.

Be brave

We believe that taking risks leads to innovation. Our colleagues feel confident to test, fail and learn. It's about progress, not perfection. Being brave also means standing up for what's right and we're here to listen and create a safe environment for all colleagues.

Live 20/80

We achieve our goals by focusing our efforts on the actions that matter most. We prioritise 20% of the tasks that really make a difference. Freeing up time to explore new and exciting things that add even more value to our business and customers.

You’ll receive your tablet when you start your apprenticeship in January. It’ll be an essential tool to help you complete your training.

All your apprenticeship learning, including Maths and English, will take place in-store during your working hours. You’ll split your time between training on your tablet and working on the shop floor. Your Store Manager, buddy, and Lifetime Coach will be there to help you manage your time effectively.

As part of the apprenticeship programme, you may need to achieve qualifications in Maths and English called functional skills. These qualifications are equivalent to holding GCSEs in those subjects.

I have already achieved these

If you’ve previously achieved both Maths and English GCSE qualifications at Grade D or above, you will not need to complete functional skills as part of the programme. You’ll just need to present your certificates to your Lifetime Training Coach at your first session.

I need to achieve them

If you don’t hold these qualifications, don’t worry, your Lifetime Training Coach will support you to achieve them. You shouldn’t be concerned as they're delivered very differently to school and will help you at work and in day-to-day life.

 You'll receive additional support if required and have access to virtual classrooms to learn from specialist tutors.

Your apprenticeship will take you through all areas of the store, both on and off the shop floor. One day you could be on checkouts, the next in the bakery. You’ll get to learn new skills in each department and understand how the whole store operates. Every day will be different, which is what makes working at Tesco so exciting.

Once you're ready for your final assessment, you, your Line Manager and Lifetime Training Coach will have a conversation, where you'll all agree if you're ready for the last stage of your journey - the end-point assessment. Here you'll need to demonstrate the knowledge, skills and behaviours that you’ve learnt to an independent assessor.

This will involve:

• A practical observation with questions
• An interview including a portfolio of evidence.

In preparation for this, you'll do practice and mock assessments, supported by your Line Manager and Lifetime Training Coach, to make sure you’re ready. You'll then get your result, which could be a pass, or even a distinction. Like a driving test, if you don’t quite pass first time, you'll receive more training and can take it again.

The apprenticeship programme is a full-time position, you will be required to work 36 full-time hours across the week between the hours of 06.00-22.00 Monday to Sunday. This programme cannot be completed on part-time basis.

You will be entitled to 20 days holiday pro rata, plus a personal day and Bank Holidays - rising to 22 days after 12 months.

We operate an online digital application process consisting of applying for the programme, followed by a video interview, neither of which are time-consuming. If you're successful, a Virtual Discovery Centre will follow which is the final stage of the application process.

Absolutely. As a Disability Confident Leader we want to support all applicants entering our recruitment process with any reasonable adjustments they may need. You can reach us at TescoEarlyCareers@groupgti.com or call 0207 654 7212 to chat through the details further.

You're given practice questions before the real assessment starts. Take advantage of these to make sure you understand what you have to do in the assessment. Often, you can re-read the instructions and redo the practice questions multiple times.

Please email TescoEarlyCareers@groupgti.com and we’ll look into any issues for you.

 To meet our Right to Work eligibility you must satisfy all the following criteria.  

1. You're a citizen of the United Kingdom or a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) and have been resident for at least 3 Consecutive years prior to starting your apprenticeship
2. You’re not an overseas national subject to employment restrictions or working on a student visa. Further checks on eligibility be required depending on your individual circumstances.
3. You’re not planning to return to funded education/training for more than 16 hours in the 16 months after you’ve left school. 
4. You’ve not already completed an NVQ/Diploma qualification or above in retail. 

From the moment you apply for the Stronger Starts programme, we're here to support you every step of the way. Whether you need help with technical issues, filling out the application, or tips for acing your video interview, you can email TescoEarlyCareers@groupgti.com. If you are successful and invited to a virtual interview (Discovery Day) you will receive a coaching session to help you feel your best and set, you up for success.

Yes, you can still apply if you’ve not already completed an NVQ/ diploma qualification or above in retail.

Here are the guidelines:

Level of Apprenticeship: If the retail apprenticeship is at the same level or higher than your previous apprenticeship, and not in retail you will likely be eligible. For example, if you previously completed a Level 2 apprenticeship in social care, you could apply for a Level 2 or higher apprenticeship in retail.

Funding Rules: Apprenticeships are funded by the government, and funding may be affected if you are repeating the same level in a similar field. However, since retail and social care are different sectors, you should still qualify for funding.

Overall, your previous apprenticeship experience may even be seen as a positive, as it shows a commitment to developing practical skills. Just make sure the new apprenticeship aligns with your career goals.

These are held virtually.

We believe that you perform your best when you're yourself. So whether this is smart/casual or your best business attire, you should feel comfortable and confident - we're interested in you, not your outfit, so please don't worry! Our interviewers will be dressed smart/casual.

Our Virtual Discovery Centres are designed with you in mind, if you're successful and have been invited to a Virtual Discovery Centre, you'll receive a coaching call beforehand which will provide you with a good understanding of what to expect on the day. 

We’d suggest that you think about your motivations and passion for joining on the apprenticeship and why at Tesco. Ahead of the day we’ll send you some questions to help you best prepare for the day.

You'll need access to a working laptop, tablet device or mobile phone which has a working camera and microphone and can support Microsoft Teams. You'll also need a Wi-Fi connection to attend the Virtual Discovery Centre day. 

Please don’t worry. If you’re invited through to the Virtual Discovery Centre, we ask that you explore using equipment via your school, college, local library or carers/parents and family friends. If you're unable to organise any equipment, please contact us at TescoEarlyCareers@groupgti.com so that we can chat through how we can support you.

The Discovery Centres will be held on Tuesday’s from January until July 2025

After the Virtual Discovery Centre, a member of the team will call you to give you your feedback and outcome from the day. All feedback is provided to help you to reflect on any key messages and how you might use them in the future. If you’re successful in securing a place on our Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship, you’ll be contacted about providing us with some personal details so we can raise your contract. If you’re unsuccessful, you’ll be signposted to support from The Princes Trust.