Apprenticeship Levy For Charities
Empowering Potential: Utilising Team Leadership and Operational Management Apprenticeships in Charity Retail to Develop Future Leaders
Charity Retail and Apprenticeship Charity Levy
Our Promise:
At Penguin Learning, we understand that consistent and continuous learning and development for charity retail teams is essential for boosting engagement, retention and to ensure long-term sustainability and growth. We also understand the financial pressures many Charity organisations are facing today. To conserve budgets, more and more organisations are looking to offset their L&D costs by utilising the apprenticeship levy for charities.
As a B Corp, a dedicated Charity Retail Corporate Partner, and former leaders within the retail and charity retail sector ourselves, we are passionate in creating positive social impact, reflecting commitment to our purpose and our values.
That’s why we customise our programmes exclusively for charity retail organisations to offer a seamless, impactful, and supportive learning experience tailored to your unique needs.
Challenges Facing Charity Retail:
One of the most common challenges in Charity Retail involves navigating constructive conversations, those that address behaviour, expectations, or performance in a way that supports growth and preserves positive relationships. Charity shops rely heavily on the goodwill and commitment of volunteers; this can make it particularly sensitive to raise concerns around conduct or performance. At the same time, paid employees in charity retail often work under pressure, managing busy shops with limited resources. They too require open, honest, and supportive performance conversations that help them develop their skills, feel valued, and stay motivated. When handled well, these conversations can strengthen trust, clarify expectations, and foster a culture of continuous improvement and are key to sustaining an engaged, high-performing team in a sector where every person’s contribution makes a real difference.
Coaching conversations and effective communication are essential in helping both employees and volunteers feel supported and engaged. Leaders require the interpersonal skills to offer guidance in a way that empowers, often with little time or formal training. In charity retail, where teams are often diverse in age, background, and experience, the ability to communicate clearly and adaptively can make a significant difference in team effectiveness.
Time management remains a constant hurdle. With limited staffing, volunteer schedules, and ever-changing priorities, charity retail managers often juggle multiple roles. Finding the time to have meaningful conversations, deliver coaching, and manage day-to-day operations can feel overwhelming. Supporting leaders and teams with the skills to manage their time effectively and approach conversations with confidence is key to sustaining a positive, high-performing retail environment.
How Penguin Learning Support these challenges utilising Apprenticeships:
Value of Apprenticeships – At Penguin Learning, we’re passionate about helping charities unlock the full potential of apprenticeships as a cost-effective way to invest in staff development. With rising operational costs, it’s more important than ever for charities to make sustainable decisions about learning and development. Apprenticeships offer a practical solution, especially for those already contributing to the Apprenticeship Levy, enabling access to high-quality charity training programs without impacting limited L&D budgets.
By utilising the apprenticeship levy for charities, your Charity can continue to support the growth and confidence of your employees, boosting retention and engagement in the process. These Apprenticeship programmes are designed to build real, applicable skills, particularly in leadership and operational management, so that team members are better equipped to lead both employees and volunteers. The result is improved productivity, stronger performance, and a more supportive, values-driven workplace culture that reflects the heart of your Charity.
Social Impact – We take a personalised approach that aligns closely with your Charity’s mission, values, and community goals. We begin by conducting a comprehensive Learning Needs Analysis to ensure our charity training programs are relevant and directly support your Charity’s specific objectives. Our approach is designed to address the unique challenges and opportunities within charity retail, helping your teams thrive both on the shop floor and beyond.
We understand the vital role charity shops play as retail spaces and as hubs of community engagement and social connection. That’s why our charity training programs go beyond skills development, focusing on the real impact your Charity has at a local level as well as within the wider organisational structure.
Accessibility and Flexible Learning Options – We recognise that many charities operate with limited resources, whether it's budget, staff time, meeting space, technology, or even reliable Wi-Fi in some retail locations. These constraints can make traditional training models difficult to implement. That’s why at Penguin Learning, we offer flexible and accessible learning solutions tailored to the unique needs of your Charity organisation.
Depending on your requirements, our approach can include shorter, focused workshops, virtual learning options, and a blend of on-the-job and off-the-job development, making it easier to fit training around busy schedules without compromising quality. By making leadership development more accessible, we can support your Charity to provide teams with the skills they need to deliver without placing additional strain on already stretched resources.
Penguin Learning Solutions:
In conjunction with our partners Kendal College we have put together an Apprenticeship Guide.
- Penguin Learning Apprenticeship Guide
The Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor Apprenticeship is ideally suited for individuals in charity retail who are either in, or preparing for, a first time management role. Shop and Assistant Managers, Cluster Managers, Newly Promoted Managers.
The Level 5 Operations/Departmental Manager Apprenticeship is designed for mid-to-senior leaders in charity retail who manage teams, projects, or functions and are responsible for delivering operational results. Area Managers / Regional Retail Managers, Retail Development Managers, Warehouse / Logistics Managers, Aspiring Senior Leaders.
How it works:
| Level | Typical Roles | Workshops | ILM Qualification | Total Funding Per Apprentice (Levy Cap) | Non-levy Funding Per Apprentice (Levy Cap) |
| Level 3 | Team Leader, Supervisor, Shift Manager | 12 workshops | ILM Level 3 Diploma for Managers | £5,000 | £250.00 |
| Level 5 | Operations Manager, Departmental Manager | 18 workshops | ILM Level 5 Diploma for Leaders and Managers | £9,000 | £450.00 |
Reduced programme timeline:
We can now reduce the timeline of the Level 3 and 5 levy programmes to a potential 6 months for Level 3, and 9 months for Level 5. Apprentices will still need to attend the same number of workshops (approx 12 for Level 3 and approx 18 for Level 5).
Non-Levy Funded Apprentices (Rest of U.K):
We’ve worked with Kendal College to map our content to the new levy standard, and now we've mapped our content to their ILM 3 and 5 programmes.
E.g. Level 3 Team Leader cohort of 20:
- 15 Levy apprentices (minimum of 10 before additional costs, as before)
- Up to 5 additional apprentices (referred to as non-funded) based in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, etc)
- On the same cohort, going through the content together
- Provided that all apprentices pass their EPA and assignments, everyone will receive their ILM3 qualification upon completion of the programme, regardless of location/geography.
These non-funded apprentices would be paid separately. Kendal College has agreed a rate of:
- £1500+VAT per apprentice for Level 3
- £2500+VAT per apprentice for a Level 5
This should help where apprentice populations aren't all based within the geography to utilise just their levy pots for funded programmes.