Retail is the largest private sector employer in the UK, employing three million people and creating more new jobs over the last five years than any other sector.

Yet, despite its dominance, the industry has some serious challenges ahead to develop an appropriately skilled workforce and promote the diverse range of career options it offers. Skillsmart Retail plays an important role in meeting those challenges.

Retailers are often affected by a number of common factors when it comes to skills and training; there isn’t always time or resource to release staff to develop their skills and frequently there isn’t an available budget allocated to support such activities. We work to support the needs of retailers by influencing provision delivery for practical and affordable training solutions, all of which are aimed at providing real value to the business, whether it’s increasing productivity, improving staff retention or reducing wastage.

This section of our site is designed to support you with information on products and services, qualifications and accessing learning.

For further information contact Simon Blower, Employer Engagement Director.