Managers of retail businesses in the Midlands are being urged to apply for FREE scholarship places to the Oxford Summer School, the jewel in the crown of the UK's retail training.

Skillsmart Retail has again teamed up with Retail Trust to offer ten scholarship places to the residential course held at Oxford University's Keble College in August (21st - 27th). Worth almost £2,000 each, these bursaries are available EXCLUSIVELY to retailers with fewer than 1,000 employees - a move designed to give independent retailers a boost during tough economic times.

The push for entries from the Midlands comes after a successful project which saw 15 Midlands towns take part in a Location Model project, which included mystery shopping and town audits. Funded by Advantage West Midlands, the Location Model revealed the high-quality of retail being offered in towns across the region.

The 15 towns were: Atherstone, Bridgnorth, Droitwich Spa, Ellesmere, Evesham, Leek, Leominster, Ludlow, Market Drayton, Oswestry, Ross-on-Wye, Rugeley, Stourport-on-Severn, Tenbury Wells and Whitchurch.

Skillsmart Retail's England Manager, Lynn Bavage, said: "The Oxford Summer School is the ideal course for ambitious independent managers in the Midlands, especially those from some of the wonderful shops we saw during the Location Model project. It will give them a broad insight into the retail world which they can take back into their business to help them grow. This in turn will help boost local and regional economies in the Midlands, which rely so heavily on retail."

The Oxford Summer School is run by the British Shops and Stores Association (bssa). It includes exercises, lectures and tutorials led by retail experts, presentations from leading retail figures, team building events and social activities.

The boss of world-famous department store Harvey Nichols has been confirmed as a guest speaker at this year's Oxford Summer School. Joseph Wan, Chief Executive of the Knightsbridge-based chain, which also boasts stores in Edinburgh, Riyadh, Dubai and Hong Kong, will address delegates alongside Mark Newton-Jones, Chief Executive of Shop Direct and Susan Aubrey-Cound, Marks and Spencer's Director of Multi-Channel Retail. Together with other speakers still to be confirmed, they will address more than 200 retail managers attending the week-long residential course.

Lynn Bavage added: "Having Joseph Wan confirmed as a speaker will give delegates a rare opportunity to hear from a man who has been at the top of the retail game for almost two decades. I encourage all managers of independent stores in the Midlands to apply as soon as possible so they don't miss out on this incredible opportunity."

The Summer School programme helps retail managers develop the skills they need to succeed including how to manage people, finance, marketing, merchandise and retail space. The 60 companies which sent managers to the course in 2009 included Harrods, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, B&Q and a diverse range of independent retailers.

Robert Gough, a former scholarship winner, said: "I would definitely recommend that independent retailers apply for a scholarship. Independents often do not have this training, so the Summer School will expose them to really thorough, high level training that will allow them to work and think differently in the future. It's a must for budding high-flyers."

To apply for a Skillsmart Retail and Retail Trust scholarship, which includes all accommodation and meals, email contactus@skillsmartretail.com, or call 0207 462 5060.