Boots has committed to creating 350 apprenticeship roles this year.
 

The Boots UK Healthcare Colleague Apprenticeship programme, due to launch later this year, would give 16 to 18-year-olds the chance to gain a Level 2 NVQ qualification by working in a branch of the multiple, it said last week (March 13).
 

The 12-month programme would allow candidates to be “fully trained” to offer “industry-leading healthcare advice” and dispense medication, Boots said.
 

“The apprenticeships will have the chance to gain full-time employment and on-the-job learning in the most vibrant Boots stores across the UK,” it said.
 

The multiple announced the scheme on the final day of the government’s National Apprenticeship Week, which ran from March 9 to 13. Skills and equalities minister Nick Boles MP said he was “delighted” by the business’s decision to create the roles.
 

“Apprenticeships make absolute business sense while providing life-changing opportunities for young people across the country. I would urge employers of all sizes to follow Boots UK’s lead and consider how they can make apprenticeships part of their growth strategy.”
 

Boots said the apprentices would be employed on full-time contracts and would need a GCSE in Maths and English at grade C or above to apply.
 

The positions would become available later this year, said the multiple, which was working with learning resource provider Pearson WBL & Colleges to accredit the Boots programme under the national apprenticeship standards.
 

Boots UK head of healthcare HR Marc Donovan said the multiple’s position as “one of the largest employers in the UK” meant it had an opportunity to play a “big role” in supporting young people to develop their careers.
 

“We want to encourage more young people to see community healthcare as a career and Boots is the place to do that,” he added.
 

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