Asda calls on government to reconsider plans to defund leadership apprenticeships

Supermarket Asda has called on the government to reconsider cutting leadership and management apprenticeships funding, as it publishes its 2025 Apprenticeship Impact Report during National Apprenticeship Week.

Asda employs over 140,000 staff highlighted what it called the “tangible impact apprenticeship funding had” on staff and local communities in 2025.

It said it invested £2.7m in apprenticeship training, which helped over 200 staff complete programmes alongside their day jobs. It expanded its apprenticeship offer to 85 programmes and invested £1.15m in levy transfers, supporting 165 apprentices across 80 small and medium-sized businesses in London, Leicester, West Yorkshire and Manchester – creating jobs in the process.

Asda said that since the apprenticeship levy was introduced in 2017, it had invested £19m and that over 2,700 staff had gone through an apprenticeship.

However, the grocer said that last year, £11.7m of Asda’s levy expired due to restrictions on how employers can deploy the funds.

It said that planned governmental reforms of apprenticeships would “make it even harder for retailers to offer leadership apprenticeship opportunities”, adding that would “prevent apprentices from moving from the shop floor into management positions”.

Asda chief people officer James Goodman said: “Apprenticeships are central to helping colleagues build the skills they need to thrive, and to develop the next generation of retail leaders. We’re proud to offer high-quality programmes that grow talent within Asda and support local SMEs to upskill their teams.

“The current funding system is holding employers back, with millions in levy funding going unused because of restrictive rules. Reports that the government plan to defund leadership apprenticeships would clearly be a further backward step, that would cut off proven progression routes and weaken the sector’s ability to develop future leaders.”