With approximately three million people working in the retail sector in Britain (that’s 10% of the
entire UK workforce), it’s an industry that offers significant opportunities for employment. Not only that
but the performance of the economy is often measured by retail sales, so having trained and competent retail
staff is essential not only for business success but for the success of the local and national economy as
well.
Lakeside Training Centre (held at Thurrock Learning Campus)
Our National Skills Academy for Retail hub is now based at the Thurrock Learning Campus in Grays. We
offer a comprehensive range of training solutions for both retail employers and their staff. These are
nationally recognised qualifications for retail employees working in businesses of all sizes, from the
multinational chains, to small independent businesses.
Retail Skills Apprenticeships
If you want to get stuck in right away, an Apprenticeship in Retail Skills offers you the chance to learn
and gain a professional qualification while you earn a wage and get on-the-job skills and experience.
As an Apprentice, you could find yourself working anywhere from market stalls and independent shops to
national chains and large superstores. You may be involved in assisting customers in a high street store,
or working in a specialist department that deals with a specific range of products. You could even go into
visual merchandising and help with window displays or alternatively work behind the scenes in inventory and
stock handling. You may also be exposed to management opportunities in all of these areas.
Mary Portas Masterclasses
Developed by the Sector Skills Council For Retail in conjunction with retail guru and television star
Mary Portas, the “Mary Portas Guide to Successful Retailing” covers every stage of creating and running a
successful retail business. Through a series of seven masterclasses, we offer an invaluable set of hints and
tips that will improve the performance of any retail business. These include:
- My shop, my future: How to build, mobilise and maintain a vision for your business
- Retail finance and business planning: Understand the key financial factors driving your business
- Buying for your customer: Buy the items that will attract and keep your customers as well as delivering profit
- Selling and service skills: How to stand out from the crowd and use customer service experience to increase revenue
- Creating desire; merchandising, display and windows: Get that wow factor to set your shop apart from the rest
- Marketing for more customers: Spread the word about your business without spending the earth
- You and your team: Develop both you and your team to create a forward looking, successful business
Please click here for more information on Mary Portas Masterclasses
Book a Mary Portas Course:
My shop, my future
Marketing for more customers
Selling and service skills
Retail Works
If you are looking to start a career in retail you may want to consider our pre-employment training scheme
called Retail Works, developed in partnership with Skillsmart and The Prince’s Trust. Retail Works will give
you all the tools you need to progress through interviews and get into employment. You will spend two weeks in
class, learning the theory of retail, as well as interview techniques, personal effectiveness, teamwork,
providing effective customer service and more. After the course, you will embark on a two week work experience
placement, arranged by The Prince’s Trust. This is relatively new course, and the feedback so far has been
overwhelmingly positive and we expect this to be an important part of our retail offer.