A new retail training centre created by Welsh-based training provider Acorn Learning Solutions has been hailed as key to boosting retail businesses in Caerphilly.
Acorn Skills Shop was officially welcomed as a member of the National Skills Academy for Retail – a network of skills shops designed to improve productivity for retail businesses and their staff, through training.
Forming part of the new network of skills shops in Wales, the Acorn Skills Shop will cover a large swathe of the country, including Caerphilly, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil – together with Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and Powys; Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Swansea and Port Talbot; Wrexham and Flintshire.
Organised by the National Skills Academy for Retail and part-funded by the Welsh Government’s Sector Priorities Fund Pilot, plus additional support from the European Social Fund (ESF), it will offer retailers of all sizes and their employees training opportunities including apprenticeships, management training and bespoke programmes as well as advice to those wanting to get into the sector.
Staff from the Acorn Skills Shop attended the Welsh launch of the National Skills Academy for Retail at the largest shopping centre in Wales, St David’s 2 in Cardiff recently.
Jeff Cuthbert, who is Caerphilly’s AM as well as Deputy Minister of Skills, was the event’s keynote speaker.
He said: “Retail is hugely important to the Welsh economy, and it’s growth and sustainability is dependent on building a well-skilled workforce and attracting new ambitious people to drive the sector forward in the future.
“The National Skills Academy for Retail’s skills shops will work as a champion for the sector, promoting the variety of opportunities within the industry and working with retailers to ensure continuous career development of staff.”
Acorn Skills Shop Director Helena Williams said: “As part of the National Skills Academy for Retail, Acorn Skills Shop will give all employers and employees within our geographical regions access to first class training. Our training concentrates on developing the skills their business needs, which ultimately leads to a better skilled workforce benefiting business and the local economy as a whole.”