Retailers from the sector’s giants right down to independents have been involved in drafting the new retail diploma, which aims to help school pupils understand what retail is all about. Katie Kilgallen investigates

The introduction of new diplomas for 14- to 19-year-olds has been billed as the biggest shake-up of the education system since the introduction of GCSEs and A-Levels. And many believe that the retail diploma will have an equally significant impact on the sector’s ability to recruit.

This new qualification has the potential to highlight retail as a career of choice and remedy the much discussed issue of entry-level skills gaps. Ultimately, it could pump a steady stream of skilled young people into the industry.

According to Skillsmart Retail statistics, 10 per cent of the working population are employed by the retail sector, which equates to approximately 3 million jobs. Yet the sector has a markedly low profile, both on the national curriculum and in the minds of career advisers, parents and students.

Skillsmart Retail diploma partnership manager Fiona Stubbs says: “We think it’s the greatest careers tool you could possibly ask for – there’s nothing in the curriculum at the moment that promotes retail, no avenue for getting informed people in. Lots of people enter the industry not knowing what to expect and that leads to turnover.”

The diploma is at the drafting stage but, come its launch in September 2013, three levels of the diploma will be available to 14- to 19-year-olds in England. While not all schools and colleges will be able to teach it on-site, it will be mandatory that they are able to facilitate it through relationships with other local colleges, private training providers and employers.

House of Fraser learning and development adviser Sheila Claridge says: “I think it’s fantastic because it raises the profile of the industry. And it’s an opportunity to understand the industry. The outside face is often just the cash till, but in reality it is so much more.”

P&O Ferries training manager for on-board services Tim Whitaker agrees. “If it is done correctly and delivered correctly, it will help people see it [retail] as a profession and not a second-choice job,” he says.

While all involved are convinced the diploma has great potential to promote retail as a career of choice, there is also the consensus that it leads to a real understanding of all parts of the industry. Stubbs says: “We need them [students] to understand it, warts and all. If they go into Primark and see a£4 shirt, they need to know why it’s£4.”

Big names on board

The drafting of the diploma has been employer-led, with big high street names such as Boots, John Lewis Partnership, Sainsbury’s, House of Fraser and Signet all involved, as well as smaller and independent retailers. Universities, careers organisations, schools and colleges have also played their part in developing content.

Consulting those in different areas of the sector is seen as critical to the diploma’s ability to provide a good grounding in how the industry works. Sainsbury’s qualifications and skills manager Gary Tovey was one of the employers who advised on the content of the diploma. “It was not just the big boys – it was a real cross section,” he says. “We all had different ways of doing things. It was good to have an open forum to bounce off each other.”

Goulds Stores marketing and HR director Rebecca Murphy says: “We’re quite different from a lot of the others [employers] involved. As an independent, we are facing huge challenges and we must ensure the people who work for us in the future have the skills we need.”

The diploma has been designed by the retail sector to answer some of the problems it is facing. Whitaker says: “Drafting the content was very interesting. We would agree straightaway on the weaknesses people have coming into the industry.”

Practical, work-related learning will be at the heart of the qualification. It aims to provide real-life context for the classroom theory and give young people an insight into the business world. Stubbs explains: “It’s quite academic and theoretical, but has lots of practical elements to bring it alive.”

Often viewed as the dumping grounds of the curriculum and not an appropriate choice for talented students with high aspirations, vocational qualifications have suffered from a lack of credibility in the past. Diplomas have been designed to be academic enough to avoid that problem, while maintaining a strong focus on practical learning.

Claridge says: “I think you have to have some link to an academic qualification to give it some clout. But, as with anything, there is only so much you can learn in the classroom – you have to go out and experience it.”

Ultimately, there has to be a mix. “With this [diploma], they have the grounding to understand how things work, but also the experience to allow them to go somewhere and run with that,” says Tovey.

With that in mind, the participation of employers will not stop at the consultation stage. A significant element of the course will be made up of work experience and retailer-led masterclasses, as well as setting real business problems and projects for students. Retail has an advantage over most industries, in that paid part-time work to complement studies is available easily.

Looking ahead to the diploma’s trial in September 2010 and its launch in 2013, Stubbs says Skillsmart will embark on strategic work with major employers to develop ways to support work experience and work-related learning. She says: “It’s about helping employers understand how they can work with us and how they can link with the local areas.”

By and large, the retailers involved in the drafting process are committed to providing support where they can. Murphy says: “It is something we as a company feel very passionate about – we need people who are commercial and we need to play a part in developing those people.”

With the launch more than five years away, there is still plenty of work to do to ensure these promises are delivered. But the retail diploma has certainly been welcomed enthusiastically by retailers that see the potential it has to address the credibility issues and skills gaps the industry faces. It could provide the channel retailers need to pool their efforts and ensure the next generation see retail for what it can offer: a diverse and exciting career – and not just a Saturday job.

Retail diploma: the facts

-It is designed for 14- to 19-year-olds to prepare students for further education or employment

-Three levels will be offered: foundation (equivalent to five GCSEs), higher (equivalent to seven GCSEs) and advanced (equivalent to three and a half A-Levels)

-It will allow students to tailor an individual programme through specialist complementary study, such as languages and travel

-Employers, schools, colleges, universities and private training providers will work in partnership to deliver the content

-It will occupy 50 per cent of the timetable typically, sitting alongside ordinary GCSEs and A-levels

-It will include a minimum of two weeks’ work experience

-It will only be available in England

-All students will learn English, Maths and ICT alongside their chosen diploma

-Others diplomas on offer include creative and media, travel and tourism, and public services

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