Phase one of the RYP recently came to an end when 432 young people from the rural areas of six provinces completed their theoretical training as well as year-long internships at The Foschini Group (TFG), Pep, Metro, AutoZone, TWK, OK Grocer and Essential Hardware Group stores.
Funded and accredited by the Wholesale and Retail SETA (W&R SETA), this NQF5 Retail Management course was offered to matriculants who qualified academically for tertiary training but were hindered by financial constraints.
"The 86% retention rate is a huge achievement, given that our previous retention rate of 82% came off a base of only 196 students and more especially in light of the current average retention rate for tertiary institutions, which is about 50%," said Leigh Blochlinger, chief executive officer of Retail Relate.
"With this group of learners coming from rural environments, we also faced the issue of some of them leaving their workplaces where they were serving internships and returning home in December, when the programme had not quite ended."
Blochlinger attributed the high learner retention rate largely to Retail Relate's practice of providing continuous mentorship for the learners. Mentors for the RYP learners were selected from the top graduates of Retail Relate's previous NQF5 Retail Management course, the Unemployed Youth Assistance Programme. They were always on hand to assist and advise the learners regarding their studies and their internships.
The theoretical training modules, which incorporate the Retail Relate team's combined experience of over 100 years, were conducted in the learner's hometowns as well as at Retail Relate's centre for excellence, Heronbridge Retreat Centre near Fourways, Johannesburg. Upon completion of each module, the learners were treated to an afternoon of fun and games.
"We have found that as long as the learners feel like they are part of a team and enjoy their theoretical training, half the battle is won," Blochlinger said.
She identified high stakeholder involvement as another vital ingredient for success. "We found that the stores whose managers attended the launch of the RYP held in their area and understood the programme thoroughly had the most success with their interns," Blochlinger said.
The 432 learners will soon graduate with national certificates in retail management, which will make them prime candidates for management-level vacancies created by a shortage of skills at that level in the South African retail sector.
Meanwhile, another 100 learners from rural Limpopo and Mpumalanga are serving internships and studying towards NQF3 qualifications in retail management as part of phase two of the RYP.
