"Retail Group Launches Training for Entry-Level Job Seekers"
The Washington Post announced that due to a huge skill gap among workers in America, Walmart, Home Depot, The Shopping Network, and other non-profit groups are launching a training and credential program that will be led by the nonprofit arm of the National Retail Federation trade group (D'Innocenzio, 2017),The program will include training in sales and inventory basics, customer service and technology use. "32% of all first jobs" (2017) are in retail and more and more job openings are “becoming available in retail” reported D'Innocenzio. She described the skills needed in entry-level retail which include how to balance a cash drawer, checking for counterfeit currency, understanding how stores and online sites work together, using up-to-date handhelds to check inventory, and how to solve customer-service issues. It’s “quantitative”, “service-oriented”, and it’s “all about the innovation of technology” (D'Innocenzio, 2017). D'Innocenzio stated the NRF Foundation will evaluate 6-10 companies later this year to assess if participants “get jobs faster, stay longer, and get raises faster” (2017).
- The information in this source is current information regarding the lack of skills among workers. The information cited I consider reliable because the reader can relate to it due to it being about the National Retail Federation along with several well known companies being mentioned. There is data present in the article that states the importance for the training program and there is information presented that tells what is going to be done in the future to make sure the program is successful. This source also describes the skills needed that training would help provide. The goal of this source is to educate readers about the skill gap present in America today and what companies are doing to help reduce the skill gap.
- Due to the well known companies at the front of starting the training, the reader can better understand or relate to the importance of training and the skills needed. The article gives statistics concerning the retail sector of business and lists skills needed that current job seekers entering the workforce are lacking. After viewing all articles, I will most likely choose not to use this article due to the information being repetitive and needing more information regarding a solution to the HRM issue of training a competent workforce
D'Innocenzio, Anne. (Jan. 14, 2017). “Retail group launches training for entry-level job seekers”. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/retail-group-launches-training-for-entry-level-job-seekers/2017/01/14/9d5fc1da-da94-11e6-a0e6-d502d6751bc8_story.html?utm_term=.328a1705d939.