The apprentices got a first glimpse of Putteridge Bury, the University’s conference venue situated on the outskirts of Luton, where they will spend the next two years studying part-time with the University of Bedfordshire Business School (UBBS) alongside their work commitments.

Jenny Jenkin Registrar for the University welcomed the apprentices and said: “I hope you are all excited and curious about starting your apprenticeship qualification. We are certainly excited to have you here with us.

“In joining us for your apprenticeship you can be confident that you are working with a university that puts your learning experience as our number one priority.”

Stacey Webster, one of the Tesco apprentices based in its Work Product Team, explained how she had worked her way up through the company. She was full of praise for the support and the study facilities available at the University.

“All the support we’ve heard about today at the induction sounds really fantastic so I’m hoping to take full advantage of that. Also the libraries in Bedford and Luton sound brilliant,” she said.

The apprentices heard how the University’s Business School was selected by Tesco for its strength in delivering skills required by employers. Bedfordshire is also only one of 30 universities in the UK to hold the Small Business Charter.

The University’s Registrar explained: “All of our courses are closely linked to the workplace, with employers involved in approving curricula, and regular talks and events with employers.

“And unsurprisingly, because it is why Tesco sent you to us, we have particular strengths in the area of project management.”

Tom Lye, UK Business Planning Director for Tesco, was also on hand to make the apprentices feel at home and confirmed the importance of the partnership: “Tesco has chosen Project Management and the University for its first office based apprenticeship because change is so fundamental to our strategy and developing this skill set is essential to us delivering these changes for customers.

“The University is the ideal partner to help us invest in our colleagues’ capability because of the way they work with us to get the course right. I’m excited to be sponsoring the programme and I can’t wait to see how colleagues apply their new skills back in to the business.”