BRC and government plans retail work experience push

The project - to encourage more young people to consider careers in the retail sector - was launched today by BRC director general, Helen Dickinson and employment minister Esther McVey at an information session held at the Waltham Forrest Job Centre Plus Youth Hub.

The formal partnership was kicked off with a joint pledge to arrange retail work experience within the next six months for all session attendees.

Over a longer term, the partnership will aim to raise the profile of the retail sector, promote careers within the sector, influence DWP strategies around “recognising the importance of employment in this sector” and share local labour market intelligence.

It also seeks to ensure a “rapid response” to large scale redundancies or recruitment opportunities.

BRC director general Helen Dickinson said: “It has been great to explore with these young people the opportunities that a career in the retail industry can provide. There are a wealth of different roles that need to be undertaken for a retail business to thrive. It was great to talk to them about some of things they could do in the retail industry that they’d never thought about before.”

“Too often, when we think about a job in retail we think about a job on the shop floor – but the opportunities available are far more diverse than that. UK retailers are using cutting edge technology to get their products to consumers, so they need people with digital and IT skills to make that happen.”