Training Programmes Most medium and large retailers and wholesalers as well as a number of individual department stores provide company training programmes to help new employees eventually reach senior positions in the organisation.
Many smaller companies use external training organisations and local colleges.
All three types of training programme involve a mixture of learning while actually doing the job with training away from work. Training programmes differ between companies and change over time, but the general account we give here is broadly accurate. Training Programmes for those entering straight from school these programmes are available in retailing, but not normally in warehousing and distribution. If you do well in your first appointment, most companies encourage you to enter management training schemes for eventual promotion to department manager with the prospect of further training and promotion to senior functional management or store management and then, in the long term, possibly to area and regional management. Retail programmes cover the same areas as the training for school-leavers but in addition concentrate in detail on the main retail functions and basic principles of management.