Minister for Training and Skills Ciarán Cannon Launches Innovative eLearning Qualification for Retail Sector

Minister for Training and Skills Ciarán Cannon Launches Innovative eLearning Qualification for Retail Sector

06 February 2013

A GROUP of 19 retail professionals from across Munster and Leinster gathered today (Wednesday 6 February) in Buswells Hotel to be presented with an innovative and internationally recognised retail qualification by City & Guilds.  This group represents the first in Ireland to undertake the City & Guilds Retail Knowledge Qualification via supported eLearning. They were presented with their qualifications by Minister for Training and Skills, Ciarán Cannon TD. 

 

 

City & Guilds has a core purpose of enabling people and organisations to develop their skills for personal and economic growth. Brid Healy, City & Guilds Regional Manager (Europe) was delighted to celebrate the success of the project as it has proved the value of utilising technology and innovation to facilitate workplace learning. Speaking at the Awards Ceremony, Brid stated ‘Innovative work place training programmes such as this are core to our purpose at City & Guilds. That’s why we are delighted to have been involved in supporting this project from the start and are delighted to share in the celebration of the achievements of its first graduates.   

 

 

Through this innovative approach to vocational learning, course participants, for the first module of the qualification, focussed on the Retail Selling Process, generating more sales and revenue for their various businesses. The candidates were from a range of well-known Irish businesses such as the Dairygold Co-Op Superstores and Grafton Merchanting ROI Group. The candidates included store managers and sales assistants with a diverse educational background and age profile and when each of the modules will be completed they will be awarded a Level 4 Award on the National Framework of Qualifications.

 

 

The training was delivered by approved City & Guilds centre, RTCL. They recognised the need to provide flexible training for retail staff in a variety of areas, without putting further strain on already stretched resources. RTCL invested considerable resources in developing this eLearning programme to deliver the City & Guilds qualification working with John McNamee from eLearning 4 All.

 

 

Susan Madden, Managing Director of RTCL stated ‘We made a significant investment in online technology to help candidates receive the qualification in a fully supported online environment, and offered the employer the perfect opportunity to up-skill employees that can be achieved outside of working hours whilst giving them a recognised qualification.

 

’Funding for employees from the Hardware Retail Sector to take this innovative approach to further education was provided by MBE Skillnets, the multi-sectorial network comprising of large multinational and SME companies and Micro enterprises. Jim Copeland, CEO Hardware Association Ireland, was pivotal in securing the funding and stated ‘Hardware Association Ireland are delighted that students from our sector have completed this innovative training programme. As an Association we believe very strongly that on-line learning is very much the future for our sector with Sales and Customer Service being the priority issues. We will endeavour to promote this and other similar courses through-out our membership in 2013.

 

’Brid Healy finished by stating ‘Through the City & Guilds Awards and Certificates in Retail Knowledge we can offer training across all areas of the retail sector which can be tailored to specific clients’ needs.

 

 

’For further information on City & Guilds qualifications and courses visit www.cityandguilds.com/ireland