Pre-employment Retail Skills Standard Retail Works

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Pre-employment Retail Skills StandardRetail Works

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Introduction to the Retail Sector Skills
Councils Sector Routeway Programme

• In response to sector recruitment and labour
  market needs
• Skills development to secure entry level jobs in
  retail sector
• Developed in association with Jobcentre Plus and
  the National Employer Service of the Learning and
  Skills Council
• Written with 2 Retail CoVEs and 4 national
  retailers
• National consistent quality approach to
  pre-employment training
• Encourages progression for further training and
  qualification attainment

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Positioning of Retail Works

• The purpose of Retail Works is to give work ready
  learners the specific
• knowledge and understanding they need for gaining
  interviews and
• employment in the retail sector
• Numeracy and literacy needs addressed
• Generic employability standard met
• Retail Works delivered to work ready learners,
  preferably using the employability toolkit
• Intensive job search for learners who have met
  the retail skills standard through Retail Works
• Progression to further learning

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Retail Sector Employability Toolkit and
RetailPassport

• Selection event
• Recruitment checklist
• Three week optional work placement model
• 1 Year Retail Passport
• http//www.skillsmartretail.com/categories.php?pag
  es_id74
• www.retailpassport.co.uk

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The training programme

• Based on Jobcentre Plus benefit criteria i.e. 30
  hour training programme/ 2 weeks can be
  incorporated into longer term pre-employment
  programmes
• Flexible modular content which can be delivered
  to meet the learning needs of the candidates
• What is Retail?
• First impressions last
• Personal effectiveness and teamwork
• Effective customer service
• How are you communicating?
• Product knowledge
• Effective selling skills
• Health and safety
• Security
• Job search, assessment centres, on-line
  recruitment and interview techniques

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Learners engaged in the programme

• Hard to reach and economically inactive
• Long term unemployed
• Returners to the labour market
• Lone parents
• Career changers
• Benefit claimants
• Young people not in education, employment or
  training
• Delivered by experienced pre-employment training
  providers ideally with retail specialism

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Learner benefits

• Increased motivation and confidence
• Better informed for interviews, assessment
  centres and online assessments
• Able to tailor their CVs specifically for the
  retail sector
• Are job ready and have a grounded knowledge of
  store operations
• Aware of the career and progression routes
  available within the retail sector
• Encourages improved retention
• Progression to level two qualification
• RetailPassport and certificate of completion

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Training provider benefits

• Training programme designed with the retail
  sector to address their recruitment needs
• Programme specifically designed and proven to
  assist those with no experience of retail into
  sustainable employment within the sector
• A training programme recognised by the retailers
  as a quality standard for potential interviewees
• A tutor guide to support the delivery of the
  Retail Works candidate workbooks
• Opportunities to progress learners to a level 2
  qualification
• Tracking opportunities available through
  RetailPassport

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Employer benefits

• Effective recruitment method that improves
  retention and reduces recruitment costs
• Reduces time in sourcing and interviewing
  potential employees
• Training programme designed specifically to meet
  their needs
• Access to work ready learners
• Retailers employing Retail Works candidates
  include
• Next, New Look, Lacoste, Monsoon, Cinema de Lux,
  River Island, John Lewis,
• Waitrose, Asda, Primark, Morleys, Tesco, WH Smith

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Retail Works progress to date

• Retail Works is being delivered across the 4
  nations
• Retail Works is being used as the retail specific
  pre-employment training programme for retailers
  and regeneration developments e.g. Cardiff,
  Leicester, Bristol, White City, Manchester,
  Leeds, Sheffield etc.
• Over 60 of Retail Works learners gaining
  employment in the sector following completion of
  the programme
• The LSC and JCP are promoting Retail Works as
  their sector routeway programme for retail
  through their training providers through Skills
  for Jobs funding and LEP agreements

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Retail Works Costs

• Candidate Workbook 15 each VAT
• RetailPassport valid for 1 year
• Certificate of Completion
• Tutor Guide 40 VAT
• CD-ROM
• Lesson Plans for each module
• Task related resources to support the delivery of
  the candidate workbook

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Gemma BehanSector Routeway MangerGemma.Behan_at_ski
llsmartretail.com07747 470904