This document summarizes a retail education program that offers qualifications from pre-employment training through Masters level, including: - Hands-on retail education programs that allow students to learn while earning and progress their qualifications from foundation to masters level. - Courses designed to provide students with skills needed to succeed in retail roles across sectors like international companies, independents, and online stores. - Partnerships between universities and colleges to deliver consistent, quality training aligned with retailer needs.

1. A career in retail –
Achieve your aspirations
Hands-on retail education to take you from pre-employment training
right through to Masters level qualifications while you earn.

3. 3
Operating in an extremely competitive
environment with rapidly changing
consumer habits, the sector needs staff
with the skills and aspirations to drive
success, whether in world-class
international companies, innovative
independents or online stores.
Retail also underpins our local economies and
plays a vital role in delivering public policy (and
providing social value) in areas such as
employment and skills, environmental
sustainability and community cohesion.
As a dynamic, vibrant and inclusive young
Business School we aim to engage with national
and local businesses in new and innovative ways.
We want to play our part in stimulating and
driving the economy and helping retail businesses
grow, through partnering with colleges to provide
a retail education that spans pre-employment
training to Masters level qualifications.
Our retail courses have been specifically designed
for learning while earning.They offer employers
and employees an exciting new and flexible route
for progressing their learning in line with their
own needs and those of the retail sector.
The UK retail sector
is big, complex and diverse.

4. 4
From Foundation level to Masters
degree, we already work with many
industry sectors, from shipping to health
and social care, delivering tailor-made
services to meet the changing needs
of business.
Our academics understand the local business
landscape.We work hard to anticipate and meet
the needs of companies and entrepreneurs in
the region.
We see marketing and retail as two key sectors
where demand for skilled staff is expected to
experience the highest growth in the south
of England.
Southampton Solent University and our College
partners are working with the National Skills
Academy for Retail (People 1st), who are part
of the largest network of retail skills shops in
the country.This means that the training we offer
is consistent and quality-marked whilst
still meeting the needs of retailers and the
local community.
Our aim is to encourage progression for retail
employees undertaking Levels 2 and 3 work-
based qualifications in Retail and Customer
Service (NVQ and Apprenticeships) so they can
progress to a Foundation Degree and further if
they are able.
What can Solent offer you?

5. 5
What is different about this route is that
students can progress by taking small
stand-alone professional development
units that can build to a full Foundation
Degree. Being a work-based course, the
units are strongly based on the student’s
work place and work experience and
present opportunities for students to
investigate issues within their own
working environment.
The course is innovative and delivered online,
with the content having been developed by a
consortium of Universities in association with
employers such as Tesco, helping to ensure that it
is up-to-date and relevant to employers’ needs.
Strongly underpinned by workforce development
needs, this offers a flexible, higher- education,
university-awarded qualification for the retail
industry. It provides the sector with knowledge
and transferable skills and with the option of
combining units to create a personalised,
University-accredited award Employees and
employers have a choice of many options and
employers’ own training schemes can be
integrated and accredited.
Our retail qualifications offer
Work-based • Online • Flexible

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You can start by taking a number of units of your
own choice or units that your employer specifies.
Usually you will attend a half-day induction
session at the University to familiarise yourself
with the course and study materials and meet
your fellow students.
• Online methods of learning
• Non-standard entry - come and speak to us
about your experience
• Tutor support
• Ability to progress at your own pace – you
can collect professional development units
(PDUs) at your own pace.
• Work-based learning
• Industry experience
• Variable start dates
Exciting units:
• Retail Environment
• Retail Operations
• Managing Information
• Consumer Behaviour
• In-store Customer Marketing
• Personal and Professional Development
• Manage Retail Customer Service
• Manage and Develop People in Retail
• Personal and Professional Development 2
• Retail Law
• Leadership in Retail (Option)
• Supply Chain management (Option)
To find out more about this exciting course:
Email: retail.sbs@solent.ac.uk
Joining the course: