Supermarket chain Tesco has become one of the first companies to set targets for recruiting disabled people.

It has agreed to turn more than 200 ‘supported placements’ – where disabled people have been gaining work experience in Tesco stores already but without being paid by the firm – into permanent, paid jobs this year.

The supermarket has called in the services of disabled recruitment specialists Remploy and the Shaw Trust to help it achieve this.

Tesco will notify Remploy and the Shaw Trust of job vacancies and these firms will then source candidates and help with the placement and support.

A Tesco spokesperson said that the service level agreement it had drawn up with the two firms formalised a policy it had had in place for some time. Tesco has already turned 500 supported placements for disabled people into permanent jobs.