Home > News > March 2006 > 02-Mar-2006

Applications wanted for retail summer school bursaries

Managers of small to medium-sized retail businesses have the opportunity to apply for one of eight bursaries to this year's British Shops & Stores Association (bssa) summer school at Keble College, Oxford.

Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for the retail industry, and the retail charity Retail Trust are, for the second year running, offering bursaries to cover the £1200 required to attend the week-long, residential summer school.

The bursaries are open to retail managers from UK companies who have less than 250 employees.

The school aims to give delegates the opportunity to deal with the problems and challenges encountered when running a retail business, focussing specifically on leadership, finance, merchandising, marketing and retail space.

This year's summer school runs from August 19 to 25 and features guest lecturers, discussions, team-building events and a black tie ball.

Skillsmart Retail and Retail Trust see the bursaries as a way of allowing smaller retailers to attend a course they might not otherwise have been able to attend.

"The retailers who attend this intensive course are seen as our sector's future business leaders," said Skillsmart Retail chief executive, Alan Roberts. "For managers of smaller retail companies, it is a prime opportunity to learn ways to gain a competitive edge and grow their business."

Nigel J L Rothband, chief executive of Retail Trust, said: "Retail Trust has long recognised the need for increased educational opportunities for people working in retail. The aim of this bursary scheme is to assist aspiring retail managers in achieving their potential and fulfilling their ambitions in retail."

John Dean, Chief Executive of bssa, said: "We're delighted that Retail Trust and Skillsmart Retail are once again supporting the bssa Oxford Summer School. This is one of the best short-term business programmes in the UK and is an ideal forum for promising retail managers to acquire new skills to help improve their leadership qualities and their company's bottom-line."

Leigh Martin, owner and manager of retail business From Here to Maternity, received a summer school bursary in 2005: "It's made such a difference to the way I think about running and marketing my company," she said.

"The best thing was learning from other people already in retail and, like me, having to run their businesses successfully on a day-to-day basis. I also made some valuable contacts in the fashion industry and found that I had much more in common with the managers of large stores than I ever thought possible."

The deadline for applications for the eight places jointly funded by Retail Trust and Skillsmart Retail is Friday 31st March. For an application pack and entry criteria, visit: www.retailtrust.org.uk

Further details on the summer school can be found at: www.oxfordsummerschool.co.uk

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