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."