News

24 May 2006 - The Retail Academy wins NIACE Award

As a core partner of the Retail Academy consortium, MyKnowledgeMap is delighted to learn that the Academy has been awarded the ‘Opening Doors to Adult Learners’ award by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). The Academy will be presented with the award at the ‘Learning at Work Day Award Ceremony’ on the 24tth May in Canary Wharf during Adult Learners’ Week.

Skillsmart Retail, the national Sector Skills Council for the retail industry is a Retail Academy consortium member. Speaking from Skillsmart, Jessica Wardle said: “Through the Retail Academy we have a vibrant forum whereby trade associations, suppliers, awarding bodies, colleges, universities and retailers themselves can discuss what support is needed, what it should look like and how it can be delivered best. Together we can positively shape the fortunes of a sector notorious for being inadequately supported.”

Dawn Ritchie of MKM, and marketing manager for the Retail Academy, said: “The UK’s retail sector employs almost three million people and faces a real skills shortage. Many retailers possess neither qualifications nor defined career goals and work in a sector renowned for its lack of skills development and training, largely due to a shortage of time. This commonly results in a lack of self-esteem.

“While there has been support in the past for small retailers, it has concentrated purely on informal advice. The Retail Academy has changed this by becoming the first body to offer all-encompassing support through qualifications tailored specifically to small retailers’ needs. Last year alone, 1,200 retailers were enrolled on our programmes.”

NIACE’s award is a welcome public acknowledgement of what MyKnowledgeMap, and all other consortium partners, already know. Which is that the Retail Academy is providing resources, support, skills development and training to an industry that both needs them and is hungry for them.