Retail Apprenticeships

• Overview
• Description of the Sector
• Why does the Retail Sector need Apprentices?
• What are the Occupational Areas open to Retail Apprentices?
• What Type of Job might a Retail Apprentice do?
• Entry Requirements: What Skills/Qualities do Apprentices need?
• The Framework
• How long does the Apprenticeship take to complete?
• Certification
• Career Progression
• Need more info?

Overview

Retail covers a host of businesses from market stalls and independent shops to national chains and large superstores. This Apprenticeship covers a range of skills that can be used across this vast sector. As an apprentice, your role will depend on your employer – you could be assisting customers on the sales floor of a high street store or handling their purchases. Alternatively, you could be working in a specialist department and become a product expert able to help with specific queries. An artistic flare could point you in the direction of visual merchandising, helping to create window and in-store displays. Or you could work behind the scenes in stock handling, ensuring products are received in the correct quantities and appropriately stored.

On the Advanced Apprenticeship, your training will focus on a more specific role to gain greater skills in your preferred specialty. You will handle more responsibility and gain important management skills. From organising displays to learning the crucial aspects of management, the skills gained from the Retail Apprenticeship are transferable to all retail companies. With a young workforce, the UK’s retail sector is vibrant and offers many opportunities for early career progression.

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Description of the Sector:

Retail is the sale of goods to the public from physical premises and via electronic means. The retail sector is very diverse and ranges from the smallest corner store and market trader to the largest department stores and supermarkets. Plus retail also includes both catalogue sales and internet based stores.

Retail is a significant contributor to the UK Economy overall. UK Retail Sales were approximately £259.3bn billion in 2004, which was larger than the combined economies of Switzerland and Ireland. Retail accounted for 5.7% of Gross Value Added in 2003.

The retail sector, in employment terms is a very large sector, providing jobs to a significant proportion of the working population. The Labour Force Survey indicates that around 3 million people (or 1 in 9 of the workforce) work in the retail sector in over 279,000 retail establishments extending across each country in the UK. In England the number of establishments is over 233,000 and in Wales over 13,400.

The retail sector has an important economic and strategic role in both England and Wales. Retailing has created, and will continue to create, real employment opportunities for those living in both England and Wales. Indeed, growth in retail employment in Wales between 1998 and 2004 was 32.7% and was higher than the rest of UK.

The retail sector is an important source of employment for young people. In the UK, 14% of all 16-24 year olds are employed in the retail sector. In England and Wales almost a third of all those employed (full and part time) in the retail sector are aged 16-24.

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Why does the Retail Sector need Apprentices?

According to recent forecasts, it is likely that there will be a modest growth of employment in retail in the longer term from 2006 in England and Wales. This is predominantly due to replacing those leaving the industry through retirement, sickness or leaving to work in other areas of the economy. However, at store level it is well reported that the highest percentage of skills shortages occur in middle management. To help counteract this pressure, retailers can take advantage of the Retail Apprenticeships/Modern Apprenticeships in order to assist with the costs of developing individuals in their organisation to step up to or into these positions.

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What are the Occupational Areas open to Retail Apprentices?

The main areas in retail are:

Sales

Selling is at the core of every retail business. Sales people deal with customers day in day out, helping them with their needs and handling their sales.

Product Experts

Product experts also sell but deal with specific products providing expert advice and guidance to customers.

Customer Service

Handling customer enquiries and complaints at a specific desk in store.

Stock Management

Planning and managing stock movement and handling in store.

Visual Merchandising

Visual merchandisers interpret the design briefs and make and/or set out the displays in-store and in store windows.

Team/Department Management

This involves the management of teams of individuals or small departments.

Retail and Apprentice Product Areas:

Retail can be subdivided into 14 different product areas, each offering opportunities for apprentices:

Clothing and Footwear	Department Stores or mixed retailers
DIY/Hardware	Electrical goods
Food retailers or Grocers	Furniture
Health	Entertainment
Jewellery	Newsagents and Post Offices
Mail order or e-telling	Charity Shops and related companies
Markets	Specialist stores

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What Type of Job might a Retail Apprentice do?

Retail Apprentices should have employed status, but it is recognised that this is not always possible. Apprentices should move to employed status at the earliest opportunity. Job roles for Apprentices must reflect the level of the retail NVQ they are taking.

Job titles will vary but at Level 2 (Retail Apprenticeship) include:

• Sales Assistants (also known as Sales Associates/ Sales Advisors/ Sales Consultants/ Retail Assistant/ Retail Advisor/ General Assistant)
• Customer Service Assistants
• Stockroom Assistants
• Beauty Consultant (where role is to sell beauty products and not to work as a therapist)
• Visual Merchandiser
• Bakery Assistant

At Level 3 (Advanced Apprenticeship):

• Store Manager of a small outlet – Management Pathway
• Department Manager – Management Pathway
• Supervisor or Team Leader – Management Pathway
• Visual Merchandiser Supervisor – Visual Merchandising Pathway
• Brand or Product Specialist – Sales Professional Pathway
• Senior Sales Assistant - Sales Professional Pathway
• Style Advisors (Personal Shoppers, Retail Consultant, Stylist) – Management or Sales Professional Pathway
• Craft Experts - Management or Sales Professional Pathway

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Entry Requirements: What Skills/Qualities do Apprentices need?

There are no minimum academic criteria for entry onto the programme except where employers set their own entry requirements. Apprentices will however have to complete an interview and assessment process. As a guide to applicants, the industry feels that those wishing to train as an apprentice need the following skills and attributes:

• Self-motivation to succeed within the industry
• Self-discipline and enthusiasm
• Shows initiative
• Capacity to develop organisational skills
• Demonstrates potential to complete the qualifications
• Willingness to learn and apply that learning in the workplace
• Willingness to work with due regard to health and safety
• Willingness to adapt to different work roles
• Capacity to cope in busy conditions
• Willingness to communicate with a range of people
• Being numerate and literate

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The Framework

The framework for each Apprenticeship/Advanced Apprenticeship covers three areas; a Competence Based Element (e.g. NVQs), a Knowledge Based Element (e.g. technical certificates) and Key Skills.

For the NVQ, Apprentices and Advanced Apprentices must successfully complete six units, one of which is mandatory. As a result, the qualification can be tailored to specific jobs roles and employer requirements to address skill gaps. NVQs will be delivered by us at a time and place to suit you. The choice as to which optional units are selected is between the employer and the apprentice, but must reflect the activities that will be undertaken.

Optional units can be picked from an array of areas covering:

• Sales
• Stock Management
• Product Expertise
• Merchandising
• Visual Merchandising
• Management and Leadership
• Finance and Administration
• Customer Service
• Organisational Effectiveness

Contact us for a more detailed overview of the units available.

The Knowledge Based Element will be delivered and independently assessed through an additional award known as a technical certificate. The technical certificate ensures the apprentice can clearly demonstrate the underpinning and theoretical knowledge required by the sector and therefore helps to up-skill the apprentice and raise standards. The apprentice must complete one of the technical certificates listed in order to complete the framework.

The Key Skills levels state the minimum level required. If a learner has the ability they should be encouraged to achieve a higher level.

Retail Apprenticeship Framework (Level 2):

Retail Advanced Apprenticeship Framework (Level 3):

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How long does the Apprenticeship take to complete?

There is no time serving requirement for either Apprenticeship however on average it is found to take 14 months to successfully complete the Level 2 programme and 22 months to complete the Level 3 programme. Individual circumstances will result in a shorter or longer period of learning.

Certification

The successful apprentice will receive an Apprenticeship Completion Certificate from Skillsmart Retail. This is separate from, and in addition to, those certificates awarded for the achievements of the individual components of the framework such as the NVQ, Key Skills and technical certificates.

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Career Progression

After the Retail Apprenticeship (Level 2) apprentices can expect:

• A period of consolidation in the same role and the development of retail additional skills either at a higher level (say ‘key holder’ in a small store) or at the same level
• Entry onto the Retail Advanced Apprenticeship
• Sideways development into a different role e.g. warehousing, cash office administration with or without the acquisition of formal qualifications such as NVQs.

For those who wish to continue their development of skills and qualifications beyond Level 3, opportunities exist to progress to:

• Higher level retail qualifications or NVQs e.g. in Management
• HNCs/HNDs
• Foundation degrees in Retail
• BA Honours Degrees in Retail
• In-house development programmes

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Contact Us

General information about the Apprenticeship scheme can be found at www.apprenticeships.org.uk. If you’d like to apply for an Apprenticeship or find out more information about the training and qualifications ABA Training Ltd can offer you, contact us on 01787 377988, or alternatively email us at info@aba-training.com.