Dive Brief:
- The National Retail Federation's NRF Foundation is expanding on its training program, RISE Up, by partnering with workforce development organization Grant Associates. Focused on learners in the New York City and Washington, D.C., areas, the alliance will offer training and credentialing to about 150 job seekers in the retail market.
- The partnership will provide applicants access to the Foundation's online training. Additional support will assist with career exploration, technical training, referral services, placement and advancement. Fundamentals credentialing will prepare job seekers for openings in call centers, distribution and retail outlets, the groups said. Designed in collaboration with retailers, nonprofits and foundations, the training focuses on customer service, retail math skills, tools and technologies of the industry and inventory and interview skills.
- Since the foundation created RISE Up in January 2017, 45,000 participants have gone through its training and credentialing program.
Dive Insight:
Research shows that retail hiring is up. Data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in March said the field added more than 50,000 new workers. Even in the wake of major store closures, the industry seems healthy. Like almost every sector in America, however, it's facing a skills gap, making it tough to hire even entry-level staffers. As competition drives up wages in the sector, training has emerged as a critical way to recruit and retain talent that's looking for advancement as well as a paycheck.
Some retailers, like Walmart, have created internal pathways that can help staff members grow within the organization. Others — take Gap Inc., for example — have looked to partnerships outside the company to train and attract talent. Gap Inc. announced in August that it would expand its This Way Ahead skills and job-training program to 53 cities in 2018, in part through a new partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
As more training becomes available for deskless workers who make up much of the retail industry, mobile-ready apps and online coursework have seen an uptick. This segment of learners wants to access knowledge when they're ready to learn, needing answers to issues as they arise.
