TWO apprentices from Worcestershire joined 16 others from across the Midlands at a ceremony to mark the completion of their three year Aldi store apprenticeship programme.

Anthony Saladino, aged 19 of Worcester, and 21-years-old Matthew Jones of Droitwich, received their apprenticeship certificates, after being awarded deputy store manager roles when they successfully graduated from the scheme.

Aldi initially launched its stores apprenticeship programme in 2012 and has now created more than 1,000 permanent jobs for young people interested in pursuing a management career in retail. Aldi store apprentices are trained in all aspects of retail management during their three year course, which features a mixture of in-store and theory work.

Marius Manolescu, regional managing director at Aldi, said: "The graduation ceremony was a great opportunity to recognise the hard work which our apprentices have put in during the past three years. Aldi’s apprentices make a huge contribution to the day-to-day running of our stores and we have been particularly impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm which they have shown. As Aldi continues to grow as a business, our apprentices remain a critical part of our store teams. Successful apprentices, such as Matthew and Anthony, emphasise the realistic prospect of a management position with Aldi at the end of the scheme.”