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Supermarket chain aims to enrol 1,000 people in its ‘Futures’ programme within next 18 months Morrisons will fund the degree studies of 1,000 A-level students in a move to recruit its future senior managers straight from school. The Bradford-based supermarket chain said the initiative, to be announced this week, would offer young people with the “right drive and attitude” the chance to get a management education from one of the UK’s top business schools without the attendant student debt. It aims to enrol 1,000 people in its “Futures” programme within the next 18 months, with the first 100 in place by the end of the summer. Norman Pickavance, a Morrisons group director, said: “This is an opportunity for young people who have the right drive and attitude to reach senior management levels in the company. It offers a genuine alternative to self-funded university qualifications.” So-called “corporate” degrees are expected to become increasingly common as companies and students adjust to the new environment and Morrisons said the foundation degree would have “currency” with other employers. The retail sector employs three million people, a third of whom are under 25, and Morrisons is not the only company offering higher education opportunities. Tesco, for example, has an A-level trainee management scheme and also sponsors a pre-degree foundation course in retail with Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of the Arts London. Other industries are also entering the fray with pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline sponsoring a module on University of Nottingham chemistry degrees. Earlier this year the UK boss of McDonald’s urged more businesses to recruit school leavers and end decades of snobbery that favoured graduates. Jill McDonald said it was time to stop belittling their qualifications by calling them “dumbed down”. “We need to remove the snobbery that does down workplace learning. For many put off by high fees, this could be the route they take.” Morrisons, which describes itself as a “practical down-to-earth” business, offers more apprenticeships than any other British company as its trains butchers, bakers and fishmongers for its stores. Pickavance said there were not enough opportunities for young people that offered real social mobility and companies had a “responsibility” to provide them. “Too often retailers and other big corporates are faceless and the events of last week show that is not a good recipe.” Store managers run multimillion-pound businesses putting them in the top 10% of earners in Britain, he said. Successful candidates receive a starting salary of around £12,000 but are expected to progress to store manager within seven years. Targeting 18- to 24-year-olds with two Bs and a C at A-level, trainees are required to “get their hands dirty” in stores for an initial six-month training period before embarking on their foundation degree in retail management at the University of Bradford School of Business, which has been tailored to the company’s requirements. Students are required to study at home for eight hours a week but will also attend intensive study courses at regional centres. The graduates are promised senior management opportunities in stores and beyond. The company’s £4m investment equate to £4,000 in tuition fees per person. Higher education Morrisons Supermarkets Retail industry Zoe Wood guardian.co.uk