Assessment is once again well underway, with candidates working towards achieving their Occupational Qualifications. Just a reminder of the deadline for returning Assessment Booklets to IBEC Retail Skillnet:

Estimates are due by 25th September 2009

Assessment Booklets are due by 30th October 2009

Estimates and Assessment Booklets can be sent directly to IBEC Retail Skillnet Head Office, or they can be given to the Regional Consultant responsible for your area. 

For further information on how to contact Head Office, click here

Eddie and Annette Tobin own and manage Tobin’s Service Station and Gala store, located on the Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. the business was started on the Port Road by Eddie’s father, Patrick, in 1980. Eddie and Annette built a new convenience store on the original site, offering their customers a fresh and modern shopping experience. 

Tobin’s Service Station and Gala store has received numerous awards including Forecourt Retailer of the Year (C-Store Awards, Shelf Life, 2008) Best Forecourt Facilities (Ireland’s Forecourt and Convenience Retailer, 2008), and the store has also been the recipient of Gala Store of the Year Awards twice in recent times.

Eddie and Annette Tobin recognise the benefits of training their staff in order to meet and exceed their customer’s expectations. Tobin’s staff have been training on the IBEC Retail Skillnet programme and they currently have 14 staff availing of the work based qualifications.

Annette reports that there are many benefits of using the IBEC Retail skillnet programme. She states “Previously we had looked at other training programmes aimed at the retail sector, however these were usually delivered in different areas throughout the country and required staff to be released from the store for a number of days in order to complete the training. It was not feasible for us to release all the staff, who wished to be trained, from the store at the same time. The accredited training programme offered by IBEC Retail skillnet allows the training to take place in-store providing the best of both worlds”.

She continues, “The training provides reinforcement of best practice and allows staff to reacquaint themselves with company policies regarding all aspects of the business, e.g.: Health and Safety policies, Customer complaints policies and so on”.

She also added: “We have found that the training introduces new and beneficial ideas for the business which arise through discussion around the topics and through the assessment methods used in the qualifications”.

Annette also points out that the programme provides benefits for the staff, ” Some of our staff may have been out of education for a long time. The training introduces them back into the world of education and offers them a chance to gain qualifications which allow them to access higher education courses. They also are more involved in the day-to-day operation of the business.”

When asked about the importance of investing in training Annette responded, “In the present economic climate it is essential to have well trained and effective staff. Customer Service is now more important than ever as businesses compete in very difficult trading conditions”.

 
Cordners Shoes, who have been trading in Sligo for 30 years, recently celebrated their first FETAC awards for Retail Customer Service.

5 members of staff, Edyta Fliegeir, Michelle Hynes, Patricia Dunleavey, Carmel Belland and Damien Conway, received their FETAC Level 5 Retail Customer Service certificates from Maureen Lavin (IBEC Retail Skillnet Regional Consultant).

Maureen congratulated the staff on their achievement and also commended the assessors, Jill and David Bagnall, who delivered the training programme in-store.

Congratulations are in order for a number of candidates working in Lifestyle Sports branches who have recently completed their Level 5 FETAC Selling Skills module.

Yvonne Quinn, Training and Development Officer, Lifestyle Sports, congratulated all candidates on their latest achievement saying that “The Selling Skills module has increased the level of service within our Lifestyle branches”.

Pictured: Staff from Lifestyle Sports, Dundrum store

Some of the Lifestyle Sports staff at the Dundrum branch commented on their experiences of being involved in the IBEC Retail Skillnet training programme.

Deborah Callaghan stated “I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I think it really helped improve my customer service and dealing with customers in a professional manner”.

Her colleague, John Lenehen, added “Through this experience I have developed some important knowledge that has helped me with servicing and satisfying customer needs”.

William Healey concluded by saying that this was a “great learning experience, it has helped me cement my future in retail. Very worthwhile”.

Brown Thomas have become the first retailer in Ireland to receive Retail Occupational Qualifications through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

10 staff from the Brown Thomas store in Cork participated in an RPL pilot programme in late 2008. They successfully achieved their Level 5 Retail Customer Service Awards in February 2009.

At a special awards ceremony, in the Cork store, they were presented with their awards by Marie Gould, Development Officer, FETAC. Management and staff from Brown Thomas congratulated their colleagues on a great achievement.

Commenting on the experience, staff said that they had thoroughly enjoyed the process and offered their encouragement to all their colleagues wishing to participate in the RPL process in the near future. They concluded by expressing their wish that the company would implement the RPL programme in all Brown Thomas stores across the country.

Pictured: Staff from Brown Thomas, Cork, with Marie Gould, FETAC and Caroline Heagney, IBEC Retail Skillnet