Aldi commits £2 million to fund apprenticeships at small and medium businesses
)
Posted: Fri 2nd May 2025
Supermarket chain Aldi is to provide £2 million over the next two years to fund apprenticeships at small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The money comes from the apprenticeship levy that large businesses are required to pay. They are able to transfer up to 50% of their levy funds to other businesses to cover the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment.
The new £2 million commitment means Aldi has provided £5.5 million to SMEs since 2021. The supermarket says around 100 smaller firms have been supported so far.
The funding is for a range of apprenticeships at businesses including care homes, nurseries, trades and healthcare.
Lisa Murphy, UK training and development director at Aldi UK, said:
"Apprenticeships can be a potential lifeline to young people looking for that first opportunity in a competitive job market, but they are equally transformative for businesses that embrace them as well.
"We plan to ramp up the number of apprentices we recruit this year. But not all smaller businesses have the resources to invest, and it's often these employers that could benefit the most from a well-funded programme.
"Levy gifting is an excellent way for larger organisations to expand the impact of apprenticeships and we intend to use the scheme to its full potential in supporting smaller employers in our communities."
Other large businesses that have recently committed funding for apprenticeships at smaller firms include £4 million from BT and £450,000 from Serco.
Last year, Enterprise Nation hosted a policy event with senior government policy makers and business leaders to discuss how to make the Apprenticeship Levy as effective as possible for small businesses.
Relevant resources
Enterprise Nation's Talent Hub
You might also like…
