SKU-level demand forecasting
Apprentices build forecasting models that beat manual spreadsheet methods on slow-movers and seasonality — typically 8–15% inventory reduction without stock-out increases.
AI Apprenticeships · Retail & e-commerce
AI & Automation Apprenticeships for Retailers
Train your buyers, planners, store managers and customer-experience teams to build AI workflows for forecasting, pricing and personalisation — using your apprenticeship levy.
697 Google reviews · 4.9/5
Ofsted Good · all headline areas
ESFA-registered · ISO 27001
72% AI Distinction rate
What apprentices build for retail
Five workflows retailers can ship inside a TESS apprenticeship — every learner builds against your own SKUs and footfall data.
Dynamic pricing & markdown optimisation
Train teams to build pricing engines that pull competitor data, stock levels and elasticity into one decision — protecting margin during peak and clearance.
Personalised recommendations & CRM
RAG-style recommendation builds for email, app and on-site — learners shipped a recommender that lifted email click-through by 30%+ at a previous client.
Footfall & staffing optimisation
Computer-vision and till-data fusion to forecast hour-by-hour footfall — drives smarter staff rosters and shrinks payroll without hurting service.
Returns prediction & reverse logistics
Apprentices build classifiers to predict return likelihood at checkout — letting ops pre-position warehouse capacity and reduce reverse-logistics costs.
Apprenticeship pathways for retail
Three apprenticeship pathways for retail roles — all levy-eligible, fitted to head-office and store-leadership cadences.
AI Data Apprenticeship Level 3
For merchandising assistants, planners and CRM analysts who need real SQL, Python and dashboarding skills.
AI & Automation Level 4
Flagship pathway for buyers, demand planners and digital teams. Apprentices ship a live forecasting or personalisation build.
AI for Team Leaders Level 4
Built for store managers, area managers and head-office team leads — covers AI ROI, vendor selection and team adoption.
Frequently asked questions
Can store-based staff do this, or only head-office?
Both. We've delivered L3 to multi-site store managers and L4 to head-office buyers in the same cohort — the off-the-job time fits round trading patterns.
How does levy funding work for multi-site retailers?
Each English PAYE entity has its own levy pot. If you have separate entities, we'll help you draw down from the right one. Non-levy SME retailers pay 5%, government funds 95%.
Can you tailor to fashion vs. food vs. DIY?
Yes — once a cohort hits 8+ learners we run sector-specific case studies. We've built dedicated content for fashion lifecycle, food shrinkage, and big-box stock-flow.
What about Christmas trading? Can we pause?
Apprenticeships have a flexible 'break in learning' process — we routinely pause cohorts through November–January peak and resume in February.
Do we need our own data scientists to support apprentices?
No. Our coaches are the technical support. Your role is to provide a 'project sponsor' who picks the workflow and signs off the brief.
Brief us on your retail estate
30-minute call with our retail-sector lead — we'll map roles to standards and pull a draft levy plan against your trading calendar.
Last updated: 24 May 2026