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retailTRUST launch youth training scheme

Youth employment is set to get a boost from charity retailTRUST which is launching a programme to prepare 16-24 year olds for work in the retail sector.

retailRIGHT simultaneously launches this week in Hereford and Leicester this week as a 12-week training initiative that will be rolled out to cities across the UK in the coming months.

The programme will give individuals the opportunity to gain accredited qualifications in customer service, functional skills and an EDEXCEL level 1 award in Retail Knowledge.

The skills acquired through the programme will ready the trainees for the first day of a work experience placement with a local retailer, giving them a real-world opportunity to put their new found skills into practice.

Richard Boland, chief executive of retailTRUST, said: “Through programmes like retailRIGHT we are reaching out to the grassroots and helping young NEETs [Not in Education, Employment or Training] gain vital experience in our industry. Rolling out the programme across the UK promises to engage retailers and be a positive, creative force in young people’s lives.”

The nationwide roll-out of the programme follows a success pilot of the retailRIGHT initiative in Leicester in the summer which saw 25 young people allocated work placements in Clarks, House of Fraser, New Look, River Island, Savers and British Heart Foundation which resulted in seven being offered full-time positions and the remainder receiving written references.

Boland continued: “We are delighted that through working with our partners, training organisations and the engaged retailers like British Heart Foundation, Clarks, House of Fraser, New Look, River Island and Savers we have helped 25 young people develop to a Level 1 in Retail Knowledge.”

Glasgow will be the next port of call for retailRIGHT early next year with three more cities already scheduled.

James Buttery

Editor of WatchPro, the WatchPro Hot 100 and The Luxury Report.

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