Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship - East of England

About the role

Our Stronger Starts Retail Apprenticeship delivered by Lifetime Training won’t just give you a stronger start towards an exciting and rewarding career with us, it will support you to develop new skills, build your confidence and learn about all areas of retail as well as getting hands‑on practical experience of working in different areas of our store. If you have the passion and commitment to succeed, this could be the fantastic opportunity for you; you could even develop further and become a shift leader at the end of your apprenticeship.

We know that working and learning can be a challenge, that’s why you’ll have a network of people to support you, from expert 1‑1 pastoral support from the King’s Trust to a dedicated Lifetime apprenticeship coach, someone’s there every step of the way. You’ll also be welcomed by our friendly store team and given a buddy who will be on hand to offer advice as well as guide and support you throughout your time with us. We’ll also provide you with £4.00 per day towards your lunch cost for the first four‑weeks of you working with us.

We recruit on a rolling basis, so early applications are encouraged. Positions may close as soon as we’ve received enough suitable applications, which means some roles may fill earlier than others.

For questions about the recruitment process or additional support, contact the recruitment team at TescoEarlyCareers@groupgti.com or on 0207 654 7212.

Responsibilities

The apprenticeship is delivered in store and takes a minimum of 12 months to complete. You’ll spend time doing a range of activities from completing learning on a tablet device you’re provided with, to putting in practice your learning on the shop floor. As part of the apprenticeship programme you may need to achieve qualifications in maths and English called Functional Skills. These qualifications are the equivalent to holding GCSEs in those subjects. If you’ve previously achieved these at Grade C/Grade 4 or above, you won’t need to complete these as part of the programme. Once you’ve completed the programme, you’ll be awarded your Level 2 National Standard in Retail, which is equivalent to five GCSE passes.

The real success in this role will come from getting stuck in, working as part of a team and getting to know and serving our customers and colleagues. We’re particularly wanting to hear from school leavers aged 16‑18 and applicants eligible for free school meals and/or attending a state‑funded school.

Qualifications

• You have full right to work in the United Kingdom (citizenship or visa) throughout the duration of the apprenticeship.
• If you are an overseas national, your visa is not subject to any employment restrictions, and you are not on a student visa.
• You will have been a resident of the UK or a country within the European Economic Area (EEA) for at least 3 consecutive years by September 2026, unless you meet one of the exemptions laid out in Annex A of the document linked here.
• You are 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 have not already completed an NVQ/diploma qualification or above in Retail.
• You will be above the statutory school leaver age by September 2026.
• You are available to work the contracted hours you select in your application (21 / 28 / 36 per week) from September 2026.

*These eligibility criteria are set by the Department of Education and are subject to change. In order to be eligible for the role and apprenticeship, we are only able to take forward applications from external candidates who have not been employed by Tesco. If you are an internal colleague, please visit colleague help to find out more about our internal apprenticeship opportunities.

Whats in it for you?

• Salary: minimum starting salary depending on hours worked (£13,802.88 – 21 hrs per week / £18,403.84 – 28 hrs per week / £23,662.08 – 36 hrs per week)
• Holiday allowance: 20 days pro rata plus a personal day – rising to 22 days after 12 months (plus Bank holidays)
• Bonus Scheme**
• Our Virtual GP service provides free and confidential access to an online GP through video GP consultations, and online prescription service for colleagues. The service is also available to families of colleagues who live at the same address for a reduced cost.
• 24/7 access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for you and family members for in‑the‑moment emotional support along with free access to a range of wellbeing services supporting you under our new Wellbeing First approach of Body, Mind and Life.
• Colleague Clubcard 10% discount increasing to 15% starting on the last Friday of each month for 3 days (including a 2nd card for a family member)
• Life Assurance
• Pension Scheme**
• Save As You Earn Scheme**
• Paid Family Leave
• Bike to Work
• Long Service Awards
• Commuter Scheme

**Entry requirements and rules of the scheme apply

About Us

You might know us as a supermarket, technology company or even for our award‑winning mobile network. Truth is, we’re all those things, and much more. Our colleagues work with one goal in mind, helping to make every day a little better for our customers, colleagues and communities all over the world. No two customers are the same, neither are our colleague. You can talk to us throughout your application about how we can support. We’re proud to be an accredited Disability Confident Leader, where everyone’s welcome. That’s why we commit to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you need support with your application, click here for more information. And if you’re interested in joining our team but don’t tick every box, don’t let that hold you back from applying.