Anderson checks out retail academy

LIVERPOOL City Council leader, Joe Anderson, has opened a new £170,000 retail training academy at the city’s Liverpool ONE shopping centre.

The Academy ONE training centre at Stanley Building in Hanover Street offering specific retail qualifications tailored to businesses’ needs to increase staff competence and develop sales techniques.
 
Cllr Anderson said: “Academy ONE is a great investment in the training and development of the Liverpool city region’s retail workforce. The retail sector and visitor economy is such an important part of the city and businesses need to get their offering right.”
 
Liverpool-based Scientiam has invested more than £170,000 in the development of Academy ONE, which has already helped more than 50 long-term unemployed people from Merseyside to come off benefits and find permanent jobs in retail. Retailers currently working with Academy ONE include Aada, Debenhams and TK Maxx.
 
Lorna Dainton, retail sector lead for Academy ONE, said: “The visitor economy sector as a whole in Merseyside is expected to generate a minimum of £2.1bn and 37,000 jobs by 2020.
 
Academy ONE is a retail training alliance between Liverpool ONE, the National Skills Academy for Retail and Scientiam.