ALDI are looking to hire store apprentices across their supermarkets in the South West including those in Ledbury and Hereford.

The supermarket is working with schools across the region to 'support local communities, open up new employment options for young people and secure the best new talent to work in its local stores'.

The supermarket’s Stores Apprenticeship Programme 'prepares colleagues for successful careers within retail management'.

Former store apprentice Freddie Wakelin said: “I looked at a number of options to best achieve my goals when I left school.

"I had always wanted to be a manager of sorts and believed that my strong people skills would be a good starting point for a career in retail management.

"Once I started exploring this area, Aldi was the obvious choice as it was ahead of the curve in terms of offering a competitive salary, opportunities to learn on the job and progress within the business.”

Deputy store manager and former store apprentice Caitlyn Dalziel added: “Candidates must be hard-working and ready to roll up their sleeves for any task. "They should also be willing to put the work in and go above and beyond to support colleagues and customers alike.

"Candidates also shouldn’t be afraid to leave their comfort zone, because that is how you grow, and make full use of the time they have with mentors, because they are so knowledgeable and have already been through the Aldi training programmes themselves.”

Apprentices will receive a salary of £190 per week in year one, rising to £283 per week in year three.

While Aldi is currently recruiting for career starter apprentices, there are two routes to enter the programme:

• When joining the Career Starter programme, candidates do not need to have completed previous qualifications.

The aim of this route is to allow apprentices to work towards a career, whilst developing skills in Literacy and Numeracy and completing a Level 2 Retailer Qualification during the 12-15 month duration of the programme.

• To join the Store Management Apprenticeship programme, candidates require a minimum grade 4 or equivalent in Maths and English and are offered a pathway to becoming a Deputy Store Manager.

Apprentices who choose the Management Development Programme will complete a Level 2 Retailer Qualification in the first year of training, and then progress to a Level 3 Retail Team Leader Qualification in years two and three.

Dan Oakenfull, regional managing director at Aldi, added: “As we continue to expand across the South West, giving even more customers access to Aldi’s high-quality products at unbeatable prices, we are creating a number of new opportunities across the region. Aldi’s apprenticeship programmes offer candidates a fantastic route into the world of work and allow them to complete real qualifications while launching their careers.

“As well as our fantastic benefits, such as the competitive pay package, our new apprentices will experience one of the best working environments in the UK and have realistic opportunities to progress within the business. We take immense pride in supporting the career development of all our colleagues and always look to invest in further training programmes that keep our colleagues highly motivated, fully engaged and continuously challenged.”

For further information about the apprenticeship roles currently available with Aldi, and to apply or register your interest for future roles, visit: www.aldirecruitment.co.uk/apprenticeships.