Sainsbury's in Haywards Heath.

By Rachel Wood

rsowood@hotmail.com

 

Sainsbury’s is the first retailer and largest employer to give its entire workforce of 150,000 the opportunity to gain the equivalent of GCSE qualifications.

 

This move is in keeping with the government’s skills pledge – which Sainsbury’s signed last June – encouraging employers to invest in the skills and training of their workforce.  See background article for more information.

 

In Lord Sandy Leitch’s review of the UK’s long term skills needs in 2006, he found “…five million adults lack functional literacy and 17 million struggle with numbers.”

 

Sainsbury’s chief executive, Justin King, and Skills Secretary John Denham, launched the scheme today that aims to see 25% of its workforce have a nationally recognised qualification within the next five years.

 

Improving maths and English

 

The level 1 literacy and numeracy qualification – which is the equivalent to a D grade GCSE – will consolidate employees’s maths and English skills.

 

It is a web-based programme, so the students can improve their skills at their own pace.  A personal e-tutor is assigned to each employee when they enrol.

 

Recent research undertaken at RMIT University, highlighted confidence as a real barrier to learning, and so Sainsbury’s has made this training entirely confidential which can be done without any contact with peers and line managers.

 

Every employee will receive a certificate, and as added incentive to sign up, a £50 voucher will be issued to the first 2000 that complete the course.

 

Eleanor Davies, an employee at Sainsbury’s Hampton branch, welcomed this opportunity:  “I have worked at Sainsbury’s for twenty years, and think it’s only right they put something back into us”.

 

Vocational training

 

The giant supermarket will also be the first retailer to offer its’ staff the chance to gain an NVQ level 2 qualification, equivalent to five good GCSEs.

 

Sainsbury’s has agreed to work with an existing exam board EDI, to design a qualification that credits store-based skills such as stock control, visual merchandising and health and safety.

 

Sainsbury’s chief executive, Justin King, said:

 “This launch demonstrates that learning never stops at Sainsbury’s and every one of our colleagues can improve their skills, which not only benefits our customers, but also supports our colleagues to achieve their full potential”.

 

 

Click here to read the background article, which explains the government’s push for more skilled workers.

Click here to view my blog.

(Image courtesy of Jem)