# Retail scholarships open to charity shops for the first time

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2010/03/20/retail-scholarships-open-charity-shops-first-time/
- Published: 2010-03-20T11:09:37+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/IMG_1124.JPG)

![](https://www.fundraising.co.uk/files/images/news/IMG_1124_0.JPG)

Skillsmart Retail (the Sector Skills Council for Retail) and retail sector charity
[Retail Trust](http://www.retailtrust.org.uk) are encouraging charity shop staff
to apply for 10 management training scholarships worth nearly £2,000 each. The places
at the Oxford Summer School have been made available exclusively to independent 
shops for the first time this year, “in a bid to help the high street during tough
times” say the funders.

The management development programme will be held at Keble College at the University
of Oxford from 21 to 27 August, and offers valuable training for would be retail
leaders. It is run by the British Shops and Stores Association (bssa) and includes
exercises, lectures and tutorials led by retail experts, presentations from leading
retail figures, team-building events and social activities. It covers key skills
such as how to manage people, money, marketing, merchandise and retail space.

Anne Seaman, Chief Executive of [Skillsmart Retail](http://www.skillsmartretail.com)
said: “The Oxford Summer School is the ideal course for ambitious independent managers.
It provides a broad insight into the retail world, which retailers can take back
and help their businesses grow. I would encourage all charity store workers to get
their applications in as soon as possible to that they don’t miss out on this incredible
opportunity.”

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Rebecca Sanders, an area manager for Cancer Research UK, who won a scholarship last
year, said: “I would recommend this course to any retailer. I left feeling confident
and ready to move forward with a clear definition of how to drive business forward
and it was the most memorable and impacting week I have ever had both on a personal
and business level.”

The bursaries are available to all retail employees in companies employing 1,000
people or fewer.

www.skillsmartretail.com/oxfordsummerschool

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