The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) is partnering with The Careers Department (TCD) to highlight the benefits of working in retail. At least 40,000 students will be reached over the next 12 months as part of a National Schools Tour.
The partnership, which comes ahead of National Skills Week (August 22-28), will promote careers in retail, training pathways and job opportunities for school leavers looking to enter the workforce.
ARA CEO Paul Zahra says retail is one of the most exciting and diverse career paths offering a wide range of roles – from sales and customer service to digital, data, sustainability and supply chain positions. His own retail career path took Mr Zahra from the shop floor to managing one of Australia’s biggest department stores.
“Retail is where many of us started off our careers and it provides many Australians with their first employment experience,” he says.
“One in ten Australians work in retail and the sector employs more young people than most. It’s an industry that caters to all sorts of interests and passions – whether you love fashion, sport, beauty or technology, there’s sure to be a role to match.”
The Careers Department
TCD was built on the ethos that no Australian should be disadvantaged from reaching their career potential by their locality, school infrastructure or immediate pool of influencers. It provides a digital careers program for students, parents and schools right across Australia and also hosts an annual National Schools Tour that educates students on the future of work.
TCD’s Co-Founder, Samantha Devlin, says the tour focuses on bringing industry to students, widening their concept of careers and breaking down misconceptions.
“Students can only be what they see and we are proud to be showing them all the options within our interactive workshops,” she says.
“The ARA identified the value of the ‘In School workshop’ and how these shared experiences among students can help change the future of the Australian workforce. We’re excited to see how this partnership between ARA and TCD can shape students’ views around retail careers.”
The theme for this year’s National Skills Week is A Universe of Skills: Go Beyond Your Imagination. More information around training opportunities is available through the ARA Retail Institute.