Restaurant chain McDonald's has announced the roll out of its national apprenticeship scheme which will train and recruit up to 10,000 teenagers a year.

Following the completion of a successful trial at 80 restaurants, McDonald's will now offer 6,000 of its 72,000 UK employees the chance to obtain a City and Guilds-accredited Level 2 Apprenticeship in Multi-Skilled Hospitality, in 2009. The chain intends to increase this to 10,000 employees in 2010. As well as a work-based qualification, equivalent to five good GCSEs, the apprentices will also gain a GCSE-equivalent in maths and english. The programme will also allow access to a qualification in Basic Shift Management – equivalent to an A-level – and McDonald's management development programmes.

David Fairhurst, McDonald's UK's chief people officer, said: "Apprenticeships enable those who use a job at McDonald's as a stepping stone to another career, to move on to their next job with a valuable, transferable qualification that helps them hit the ground running. "In these challenging economic times, it is more important than ever for employers to invest in their staff.

With the service and hospitality sector now one of the biggest employers in the UK economy – over 1.9 million people are employed by the hospitality and tourism sector alone – it's vital that we and others in the industry invest in skills and training now to ensure the sector is ready to shine when the UK emerges from the downturn." People 1st, the sector skills council for the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sector have fully endorsed McDonald's strategy: "It offers a nationally recognised qualification that will be valued by other employers in the industry, and offers their staff a significant investment in their career development," said Brian Wisdom, the council's chief executive.