Pictured above: Mary Portas

A new centre for excellence in retail training called The Store is opening in Stoke-on-Trent.

Part of a growing network of nationwide skills shops, and supported by The National Skills Academy for Retail, The Store will give employers access to world-class training for their staff as well as strong business support.

Offering recognised professional training and qualifications, The Store will help retailers boost profits and increase productivity while at the same time offer rewarding careers in retail.

Prior to the official opening of The Store in Tontine Street in June, a website offering a full package of support launches this Monday (February 14).

This exciting new development will be run as a joint project between Stoke-on-Trent City Council and its delivery partners Stoke-on-Trent College, The National Skills Academy for Retail and Jobcentre Plus. 

Councillor Mervyn Smith, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for city development (regeneration), said: "The Store is a really exciting venture for us to be involved in because it's a fantastic chance to boost employment. There are a number of regeneration schemes being brought to Stoke-on-Trent which will create extra job opportunities. The Store will help to give residents the chance to gain the training and skills needed to benefit from the regeneration."

Big names in retail have shown their support for the National Skills Academy for Retail's network of retail skill shops, including TV shopping supremo Mary Portas and BBC TV's Dragon's Den star Theo Paphitis, the Chairman of Ryman Stationery. He commented: "The National Skills Academy for Retail's skills shops will be able to help both employees and employers find the right training, whether it is an Apprenticeship scheme, retail customer service programme or a work experience opportunity."

It's also a brilliant chance for Stoke-on-Trent College to further develop its education, training programmes and community engagement. Commented the college's Director of Employer Engagement Andy Greenhough: "We are already heavily involved in helping young people in Stoke-on-Trent to find the right courses for them so that they can access the world of work more easily and so find rewarding and enjoyable careers. Working with The Store will enable us to take that a big step further and give us the chance to utilise our vast experience."

Employer case study who has already used The Store.

One big retailer that has already made use of The Store is Sainsbury's in Biddulph. When Sainsbury's opened a new superstore in Biddulph the shop's Human Resources Manager Ruth Barker wanted to make sure local people were given the best chance possible to work there. She explains: "This is an area of high unemployment and Sainsbury's wanted to support the town and the local community as much as it could."

So Ruth turned to The Store to help her find suitable colleagues. "The Store run training schemes for people who wish to work in retail. If people haven't worked for a long time or haven't worked in retail before these courses give them a lot of confidence so when they come to the interviews they can reach their potential.

"You could see the impact that the courses offered by The Store had and the confidence this generated in the candidates. What we like about The Store is that they provide us with candidates who wish to work in retail and already know what's involved."