Graduation ceremony for local job seekers
(Date of issue: Thursday, 9 October 2008)
Twenty-two local people will graduate from a Carlisle Retail
Academy tomorrow (Friday, 10 October), at 11.30am, at the Old Town
Hall’s Assembly Rooms.
All signed up at this September’s Jobs Skills and Training Fair
and have recently completed a three week course.
A year on from the first graduation, more than 80 people have
completed the training and around half have already found jobs
following the completion of the course.
Carlisle City Council launched the Retail Academy last September
and working in partnership with The Lanes Shopping Centre. It aimed
to address recruitment and skills issues within the retail sector
in Carlisle.
The second phase of the project was developed in partnership
with Carlisle College, who secured funding from the Learning and
Skills Council for the ‘Skills for Jobs’ pilot. This initiative was
aimed at equipping individuals with the skills and confidence to
secure long term employment.
Moira Tattersall, Principal at Carlisle College, said:
"Carlisle College is delighted to be a partner in
this innovative project. Training and development is essential to
economic prosperity for individuals and the city of Carlisle. This
is central to the core purposes of the College."
The Carlisle Renaissance scheme is backed by Carlisle City
Council and the Northwest Development Agency and was created
following a suggestion from the Commercial Director of The Lanes
Shopping Centre, David Jackson, who had seen examples of similar
initiatives in other parts of the UK.
The courses have been delivered by 'Winning Way' initiatives, a
specialist retail training company. A steering group was set up to
manage the content and monitor the effectiveness of the pilot
project. The membership includes Carlisle City Council, JobCentre
Plus, Carlisle Housing Association, Carlisle College, Hoopers, BHS,
Debenhams, Fat Face and Marks & Spencer. The retailers lead the
group.
Retail growth features prominently within the plans for Carlisle
Renaissance and the City Council is keen to develop the initiative
that looks at addressing some of these issues in partnership with
local retailers.
The training delivered is aimed at assisting individuals in
developing their self-confidence and also their understanding of
working within retail. This hoped to enable them to secure
long-term careers within the sector.
The course lasts for three weeks, 16 hours per week and
included:
- an introduction to retail;
- delivering first class service;
- communication skills;
- team working;
- creating solutions;
- positive thinking and improving self confidence; and
- interviewing techniques and job search skills.
Carlisle City Cllr Marilyn Bowman, Portfolio holder for Economic
Development & Enterprise said:
"The Carlisle Renaissance agenda is highlighting
the wider need to diversify Carlisle’s economy. We need to assist
our workforce in gaining new skills and to work with local
employers to ensure that they are able to address their recruitment
issues and skills gaps.
"I would like to be the first to congratulate our
Retail Academy graduates and I wish them the best of success for
the future."