Most retailers plan to increase their commitment to apprenticeships, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
In a survey by the BRC, 86% of retailers said they would increase the number of apprenticeships they offer over the next 2 years.
In 2017/18, retailers in England increased the number of higher and advanced apprenticeships more than 2.5 times compared to the previous year.
Retailers with an annual pay bill of more than £3 million can use the apprenticeship levy, which involves paying 0.5% of their payroll into a central pot that is then used to fund apprenticeships.
However, many businesses believe the levy is too complicated and have called for it to be reformed.
In addition, 21% of retailers reported difficulties in recruiting for apprenticeships, with less traditional roles such as software engineers and food technologists proving the hardest to recruit for.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the BRC, said:
"Almost a year after the apprenticeship levy was introduced these figures demonstrate the [retail] industry's ongoing commitment to apprenticeships.
"But there are still issues with the [apprenticeship] levy that need to be resolved to allow the industry to do more and further flexibility is still needed."
Contact us to discuss the apprenticeship levy.