Fears talent pipeline “at risk” as key training routes set to be withdrawn…

Removing security apprenticeships is a step backwards in the fight against retail crime, a leading security company has warned.

From September 2026, key apprenticeship pathways into the security sector, including frontline and leadership roles, are expected to be withdrawn for new starters.

The change has prompted criticism from Lodge Security, which claimed that at a time when retail crime is rising, the industry is losing structured routes that develop the very people responsible for preventing it.

Writing on LinkedIn, Matt Pound – Group Commercial & Compliance Director at Lodge Security, said: “Across the UK, apprenticeships support hundreds of thousands of roles and deliver measurable economic value to employers and the wider economy.”

“Removing access to these pathways risks weakening the pipeline of trained professionals entering the sector at a time when demand is increasing.”

The company also believes the move raises a wider policy question, given that over £3Bn in apprenticeship levy funding has gone unused.

In response to the impending changes, Mr Pound is launching a petition to challenge what he described as the direction of travel for security apprenticeships in the UK.