St. Luke’s CARES calls for new retail course recruits

On By Lucy Potter

St. Luke’s CARES charity shop are looking to recruit more participants to join their new free accredited course in January 2017. The new three (3) month YEP (Your Enterprise Project) is a certified Level One qualification in Skills for Further Learning and Employment Level One. Combined with in house training in the busy charity shop on Dewsbury Road Beeston, it helps gives people the opportunity to contribute to their community as well as gaining new skills and a qualification.

Following the success of the original TRY! course (piloted throughout 2014/15) the charity received the Big Lottery Funding to deliver a longer and more focused course looking at Retail, IT and Work Experience.

  • The first five weeks concentrates on the theory of working in a charity shop covering; Donation to Display, Marketing and Consumer behaviour and Deliveries and Collections.
  • The second five weeks course participants volunteer their time on the work experience aspect of the charity covering window dressing, till work, health and safety and customer service.
  • The final five weeks looks at the social enterprise part of the course. This incorporates all the knowledge participants have learnt over the past 10 weeks including upcycling furniture or making craft creations to help sell and raise money for the charity.
In Morley!
On tour in the Morley Shop

Halfway through the course everyone gets to go on a tour of all four of St. Luke’s CARES charity shops around south and north Leeds.

Pam the volunteer says;

“I am really enjoying the course, you get to learn so much more, I didn’t realise how much stuff went on in a charity shop and what it means to the neighbourhood. I have already gained more skills and knowledge and am looking forward the final five weeks where I will get to create posters for the shop”.

 

For more information please contact Lucy on 07913 202559; email lucy@stlukescares.org.uk; or why not come into the shop 246-252 Dewsbury Road Beeston.

No prior experience or knowledge required. Courses start from 10 January 2017 and run either on a Tuesday or Wednesday from 10am-2pm for 15 weeks (term time only). Free lunch is included.