A career in retail – Achieve your aspirationsHands-on retail education to take you from pre-employment trainingright through to Masters level qualifications while you earn.

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Operating in an extremely competitive

environment with rapidly changing

consumer habits, the sector needs staff

with the skills and aspirations to drive

success, whether in world-class

international companies, innovative

independents or online stores.

Retail also underpins our local economies andplays a vital role in delivering public policy (andproviding social value) in areas such asemployment and skills, environmentalsustainability and community cohesion.

As a dynamic, vibrant and inclusive youngBusiness School we aim to engage with nationaland local businesses in new and innovative ways.We want to play our part in stimulating anddriving the economy and helping retail businessesgrow, through partnering with colleges to providea retail education that spans pre-employmenttraining to Masters level qualifications.

Our retail courses have been specifically designedfor learning while earning. They offer employersand employees an exciting new and flexible routefor progressing their learning in line with theirown needs and those of the retail sector.

The UK retail sectoris big, complex and diverse.

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From Foundation level to Masters

degree, we already work with many

industry sectors, from shipping to health

and social care, delivering tailor-made

services to meet the changing needs

of business.

Our academics understand the local businesslandscape. We work hard to anticipate and meetthe needs of companies and entrepreneurs in the region.

We see marketing and retail as two key sectorswhere demand for skilled staff is expected toexperience the highest growth in the south of England.

Southampton Solent University and our Collegepartners are working with the National SkillsAcademy for Retail (People 1st), who are part of the largest network of retail skills shops in the country. This means that the training we offeris consistent and quality-marked whilst still meeting the needs of retailers and the local community.

Our aim is to encourage progression for retailemployees undertaking Levels 2 and 3 work-based qualifications in Retail and CustomerService (NVQ and Apprenticeships) so they canprogress to a Foundation Degree and further ifthey are able.

What can Solent offer you?

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What is different about this route is that

students can progress by taking small

stand-alone professional development

units that can build to a full Foundation

Degree. Being a work-based course, the

units are strongly based on the student’s

work place and work experience and

present opportunities for students to

investigate issues within their own

working environment.

The course is innovative and delivered online,with the content having been developed by aconsortium of Universities in association withemployers such as Tesco, helping to ensure that itis up-to-date and relevant to employers’ needs.

Strongly underpinned by workforce developmentneeds, this offers a flexible, higher- education,university-awarded qualification for the retailindustry. It provides the sector with knowledgeand transferable skills and with the option ofcombining units to create a personalised,University-accredited award Employees andemployers have a choice of many options andemployers’ own training schemes can beintegrated and accredited.

Our retail qualifications offerWork-based • Online • Flexible

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You can start by taking a number of units of yourown choice or units that your employer specifies.

Usually you will attend a half-day inductionsession at the University to familiarise yourselfwith the course and study materials and meetyour fellow students.• Online methods of learning

• Non-standard entry - come and speak to usabout your experience

• Tutor support

• Ability to progress at your own pace – youcan collect professional development units(PDUs) at your own pace.

• Work-based learning

• Industry experience

• Variable start dates

Exciting units:• Retail Environment

• Retail Operations

• Managing Information

• Consumer Behaviour

• In-store Customer Marketing

• Personal and Professional Development

• Manage Retail Customer Service

• Manage and Develop People in Retail

• Personal and Professional Development 2

• Retail Law

• Leadership in Retail (Option)

• Supply Chain management (Option)To find out more about this exciting course:Email: retail.sbs@solent.ac.uk

Joining the course: