Q. What is the National Skills Academy for Retail?
The National Skills Academy for Retail is a brand-new organisation which is responsible for creating a consistent approach to retail training across the country, through a network of retail skills shops.

Q. What is a retail skills shop?
A retail skills shop is a local centre for retail training. Some retail skills shops have been open for more than 10 years while others are just getting started. You can simply walk-in to a retail skills shop to access a wealth of support and advice, or your employer can contact a retail skills shops to access the right training for you. There are also a number of virtual retail skills shops accessible online. Retail skills shops are based mainly in shopping centres and on high streets across the country. To find the closest retail skills shop to you, click on the skills shop map.

Q. What other National Skills Academies are there?  

• Construction
• Creative & Cultural
• Financial Services
• Food & Drink Manufacturing
• Hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Materials, Production & Supply
• Nuclear
• Process Industries
• Retail
• Sport & Active Leisure
• Fashion, Textiles & Jewelry
• Social Care
• Power
• Enterprise
• Information Technology  

Further information is available at: www.nationalskillsacademy.gov.uk

Q. What will it cost?
Advice can be given free-of-charge to all employers and employees. Specific courses and training schemes tailored to individual retailers are priced at competitive rates and all qualifications gained from these courses will be recognised throughout the retail sector. Many of the training programmes and qualifications on offer can be part- or fully-funded by local government.

Q. What are the benefits of the National Skills Academy for Retail? 
The benefits of the National Skills Academy for Retail are wide-ranging. For retailers, up-skilling staff can lead to higher productivity and better retention. For the sector as a whole, a trained retail workforce will create a pool of work-ready recruits. The National Skills Academy is a badge of quality for skills shops ensures a quality consistent national offer is maintained.

Q. What is the core offer?
The core offer is what each retail skills shop is obliged to offer as part of its membership of the National Skills Academy for Retail. Your local skills shop will have more details of the core offer as well as other programmes it runs.

Q. What is the National Skills Academy for Retail doing for for small businesses?
Pre-employment training for people seeking to enter retail, IAG for business, training for retailers and their employees, masterclasses.

Q. Why should I invest in training my staff?
Research by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, reveals that firms which do not train their staff are 2.5 times more likely to fail than those which do. At a time of recession this is particularly true.