Midlands Co-operative Society

The skills challenge

The global economic climate has put many retailers in a vulnerable position resulting in many chain and independent stores losing their market position, or even closing down. National chains, SMEs and independent retailers have recognised the need to address skills issues to strengthen their position and stay on our high streets.

Employers have identified that additional training beyond what is currently available is essential to develop their workforce and support business growth. Bespoke sector-specific solutions are urgently needed to ensure retailers and their employees can thrive. Employers have identified some urgent training needs:

• Pre-employment training: To ensure young people are ‘work-ready’ whilst also developing their ‘soft’ skills
• Numeracy and literacy training: Nearly a fifth of retail employers cited ‘good basic’ literacy and numeracy skills to be lacking in younger applicants
• Customer service training: Industry research found nearly half of retailers thought customer service skills needs to be improved in their staff
• Independent and SME business support: Support is needed across a range of areas including business planning, finance, driving sales, merchandising, buying and mentoring
• Mapping existing in-house and industry programmes: This will ensure retailers and employees undertake the training of most benefit to drive up the sector’s skills base

The solution

This Employer Ownership of Skills Pilot (EOP) project brings major competitors together in a collaboration supported by the National Skills Academy for Retail and Skillsmart Retail Ltd. Midlands Co-operative Society are leading the project but also involved are: NISA Today; Miss Sixty; Poundworld; TK Maxx; JJB Sports Ltd; Solihull College; and many others.

The consortium will lead the development a programme of industry recognised, bespoke and accredited learning and development solutions to support the growth of their individual businesses, alongside supporting the wider professionalisation of the sector.

The project will:

• Develop a clear and focused route that new recruits and existing staff can follow in order to grow capability and skills, therefore maximising performance
• Enable medium-sized employers who have not previously worked with the National Apprenticeship Service to engage in Apprenticeships nationally
• Support SME and independent retailers who have not engaged with the skills agenda in the development of their HR and learning and development functions
• Offer retail specific courses across a range of business needs e.g. finance, business planning and sales, through various delivery channels including webinars.

Impact

This EOP project will uniquely support retailers in collaborating, developing and delivering high quality training and development programmes, equipping them to be leaders in the sector. It will share best practice and raise the standard of training across the sector, especially amongst those retailers who have only previously engaged in mandatory training i.e. compliance training.

Fifty additional retailers will start delivering Apprenticeship programmes creating new employment opportunities across the retail sector for 800 16 – 18 year olds and support circa 10,000 existing employees in their personal and professional development.

Ultimately the project will improve business productivity and growth through people development.

Investment

Employer investment: £945,158
Employer Ownership Pilot Funding: £1,764,719
Total: £2,709,877

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