Are you being served? Skills gaps and training needs within the retail sector: SKOPE Research Paper No. 53, October 2004
Employment in the Retail and Wholesale Distribution sector was estimated as 4.7 million in 2002, representing 17 per cent of UK employment. The sector is seen as a major source ofnew employment opportunities over the next decade.At the same time the sector is reporting serious skills shortages, particularly customer handlingand communication skills. These general concerns fail to reveal the diversity and complexityof the sector, which comprises both major high street retailers and small corner shops.Whilst bemoaning the lack of suitably skilled recruits, the retail sector is also one of the largestemployers of part-time student labour. Skillsmart, the newly established Retail Sector SkillsCouncil, has set out an ambitious programme of reform for the sector’s training anddevelopment needs. The challenge should not be underestimated since the scale and diversityof the skill requirements is substantial, forming a continuum from basic skills to high-levelmanagement skills.This paper will attempt to identify the nature of the skills shortages across the sector; explorethe ways in which retailers are attempting to redress these shortages, particularly through theuse of part-time student labour; and asses the extent to which current training provision islikely to meet the needs of the sector over the next decade.
Year of publication: |
2004
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Authors: | Huddleston, Prue ; Hirst, Christine |
Subject: | Education | skills | retail sector |
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