RETAIL APPRENTICESHIPS

Leaving school soon and wondering what to do next?

Would your friends say you were outgoing, easy to get on with and enthusiastic?

If so, why not join our team as an apprentice? You can gain a level 2, level 3 or level 4 retail qualification, earn a bit of money, learn some new skills and maybe learn a bit about yourself along the way.

RETAIL APPRENTICESHIP

There’s lots to keep you busy, so the time will fly by. It’s hard work but you will learn new skills and gain some experience that could come in handy in the future. You’ll start on £9.40 an hour and you’ll be paid weekly, so you’ll be able to make the most of your days off.

You will complete a level 2 retail apprenticeship qualification and benefit from great training and support from your shop team and an experienced apprenticeship coach from one of our apprenticeship providers.

It’s good fun too, you’ll make some new friends and it might surprise you how much you like it. If you do then stick around, we’ve got lots more to offer.

Many of our past apprentices have gone on to management positions and you will have the opportunity to progress onto a level 3 supervisor apprenticeship.

SUPERVISOR APPRENTICESHIP

Already have some experience and looking to take that next step? Then perhaps our supervisor apprenticeship is suitable for you.

As an important part of our shop management team, it’s a busy role which will see you jumping from serving on the till and putting stock out, to managing cash and completing orders. For your hard work you’ll earn £12.50 per hour and be paid weekly.

You will complete a level 3 retail team leader qualification and benefit from great training and support from your shop team and an experienced apprenticeship coach from one of our apprenticeship providers.

You’ll need to be organised and able to deal with fast changing situations, but it’s good fun too as you can’t run your shifts without your team, so you’ll be sure to make friends along the way.

From here you can progress to further management positions such as assistant manager and shop manager.

SHOP MANAGER APPRENTICESHIP

Already have some team leading or supervisor experience in retail, hospitality or another customer focused industry and looking to step up into management? Then perhaps our trainee shop manager apprenticeship is suitable for you.

As an important member of our shop management team this is a busy and demanding role. You will motivate your team by getting stuck in with the day to day tasks such as serving customers and putting stock out, while also completing your management duties and controlling key costs. For your hard work you’ll earn a starting salary of £26,200 (which will increase to £27,900 after 6 months).

You will complete a level 4 retail manager qualification and benefit from great training and support from your area manager and an experienced apprenticeship coach from one of our apprenticeship providers.

You will need to be organised and able to deal with fast changing situations while continuing to motivate and guide your team to be as successful and efficient as possible.

Upon successful completion of the trainee shop manager apprenticeship you will be a fully qualified Farmfoods shop manager with opportunities for future progression into higher management positions such as area manager.

I COMPLETED AN APPRENTICESHIP WITH FARMFOODS...

programme

Simmy

programme

Matt

programme

Sam

WHY US?

Farmfoods is a sixty five year old family business. When you join us you will become a part of achieving our mission to deliver the simplest, best value, friendliest shops in town… different to anywhere else and much better.

With over 300 shops spread nationwide from Wick to St Austell, the chances are we have a location for you.

We are a family business, not a corporate monster. Our culture is built around our values of Hard Work, Trust, Respect and Positive Attitude and our belief that You Are In Control. At every level in Farmfoods you are trusted and expected to take responsibility for yourself, your work and your colleagues. This is important because in everything we do we remember that it is our customers who pay our wages, and our shop teams who serve them. We therefore trust our shop teams to take responsibility for delighting our customers every day.

If you are a naturally friendly, enthusiastic person we think you’ll fit right in and love our hard-working, hassle free, customer first approach.

BENEFITS

Competitive pay

Career progression

We always look to promote from within.

Six weeks annual leave

15% discount on our great range of products

Free life assurance

Rewards for team performance

Great training programme

Flexible working to fit around your lifestyle

ABOUT YOU

We work in a competitive, fast environment and you will need to be able to work quickly. Much of the work we do is physical and frozen food can be heavy! Your shift will go quickly and you won’t need to spend money on a gym membership to stay in shape!

Because we trust our people from day one, you must have a friendly, positive attitude. This means being naturally great with customers and being willing to take responsibility for your own appearance and work from the start. If you are like this, we think you will love our unique culture and friendly atmosphere.

APPLICATION PROCESS

There are four stages to our recruitment process for retail apprentice positions, each of which is designed to let you show off your best and to help us find the best people for our team:


Application Form

Submit your online application before the deadline. You will be asked some short questions to make sure that Farmfoods is right for you and that you are right for us.

Contact by apprenticeship provider*

Following a review, your application will be passed to one of our approved apprenticeship training providers. They will contact you to discuss the apprenticeship further.

*This stage is not applicable for Scotland.

Telephone interview

If successful you will then complete a telephone interview. This is a chance for you to find out more about the role and Farmfoods, and for us to find out a bit more about you.

Job Trial/Final Interview

If everything goes well we will invite you to complete either a short job trial or a final interview in one of our shops. This is your opportunity to see what working in our shops involves and our chance to get to know you better in person.

OUR APPRENTICESHIP PROVIDERS

Inspiro Learning are one of the UK’s largest apprenticeship providers with a good Ofsted rating. A national provider with a local feel, with regional teams based across the UK supporting apprenticeships in all of our Welsh shops and some of England. By working closely with companies to develop tailored delivery, they see apprenticeships as an invaluable investment in employee development.

SSVQ are an SDS rated good independent training provider based in central Scotland. With a mission statement of “To put the right candidate on the right qualification at the right level at the right time”, SSVQ believe in the value of Modern Apprenticeships and the positive impact work based qualifications have for both the employer and the apprentice.

FAQ

Our focus has to be on making sure we have the right number of people in our shops at the right times, however our managers will always try to be flexible and accommodate any requests when they can.
You must be at least 16 years old to work at Farmfoods however there is no upper age restriction for applicants for our apprenticeship roles. You should note that the pay rate is £8.29 for the Retail Apprenticeship and £12.50 for the Supervisor Apprenticeship regardless of age.
You will complete our great retail training programme and you'll have plenty of support from your colleagues and manager. In addition to this you will receive training and support from your dedicated Apprentice Assessor from one of our approved Apprenticeship training providers. If needed, you will also have the opportunity to improve your Maths and English skills.
Grades aren't everything and there are no qualification requirements to apply for one of our apprenticeship roles. We believe personality is more important and we recruit the right people with the right attitude. Check out the 'About you' section above to find out more.
There are lots of career opportunities at Farmfoods and we love developing our people! We encourage internal promotion and no matter which level of apprenticeship you are on, many of our apprentices begin to take on additional duties as they progress through their programme. We always look to promote from within, so you could find yourself building a long career with us.
Our retail apprentices and supervisor apprentices work 35 hours per week across 5 days. Our shop manager apprentices work 45 hours per week across 5 days. Retail is definitely not a Monday to Friday 9 to 5 job and your shifts will include, early mornings, evenings and weekends. You should consider if this fits in with your lifestyle before deciding to apply.
The retail apprentice and supervisor apprentice programmes take approximately 12 to 15 months. The shop manager apprentice programme takes approximately 15 to 18 months to complete. There is a final assessment which takes place after the initial 12/15-month training period. You must pass the final assessment in order to achieve the apprenticeship.
You will be guaranteed a permanent position with us providing you pass your probationary period and meet all of the apprenticeship training requirements. For those who demonstrate the right skills and behaviours there may also be an opportunity to progress onto higher level apprenticeships.
After making your application you should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks.
Due to the large number of applications we receive we are unable to provide any specific feedback if your application is unsuccessful at the early stages of the recruitment process. Feedback can be provided on request if you are unsuccessful following a job trial or final interview.
Absolutely, you are more than welcome to apply again.
Current employees are welcome to apply for our apprenticeship vacancies. However, it is important to consider which apprenticeship level is right for you as apprenticeships are designed to provide new skills. However, if are keen to complete an apprenticeship please contact a member of the training team on 0121 700 7160 or at training@farmfoods.co.uk who will be happy to discuss your options with you.