Aldi, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, will gift £2m to small and medium-sized businesses over the next two years to help them fund a variety of industry apprenticeships.
The commitment, which forms part of the apprenticeship levy gifting scheme Aldi launched in 2021, will take the amount of apprenticeship funding the supermarket has provided to small and medium-sized enterprises to £5.5m by the end of 2027.
It is double the amount Aldi pledged over the same length of time in 2023 – a target it reached seven months early – and significantly grows a programme that has so far supported close to 100 smaller employers.
The fund will provide a variety of opportunities at different levels, and in settings such as nurseries, care homes, healthcare and trades.
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.”
Earlier this year, Aldi set out plans to recruit more than 500 of its own apprentices, alongside 1,600 new store roles, during 2025.
