QUINTAIN ESTATES AND DEVELOPMENT PLC 30 June 2015
London Designer Outlet secures UKCES funding for Skills Academy
Quintain's London Designer Outlet (LDO) has been awarded funding to develop a new training academy to teach retail skills and encourage more people of all ages to develop their careers in retail.
LDO, located at Wembley Park, secured funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) to set up a Skills Academy as part of a competition run by UKCES and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), encouraging firms to create projects which benefit employees. The aim was to trial new ways of, delivering training and support, increasing business and staff productivity and ultimately raising pay for workers.
Launching in September, the LDO Skills Academy is intended to help those starting out in retail, enhancing their skillset and career development prospects. The Academy will teach skills in four key areas: Selling, Service, Retail standards and Tourism.
Realm, which manages LDO, is working closely with retailers, Quintain and Brent Council to set up and run the Academy. Employers will contribute in‐kind for employee training time to help develop the programme, while Realm will contribute in‐kind for venue and development time. Brent Council will contribute in‐kind through recruitment support and Quintain has provided premises for the Academy.
"We are delighted to be working with UKCES on the launch of the LDO Skills Academy at Wembley Park. Our objective is to ensure that retail assistants working at LDO have access to the best training in sales and service, enabling them to progress in their careers and deliver a great experience for every guest who visits. By partnering with the retailers themselves to help design the training modules we are confident that we will have a product that meets the needs of the different businesses. Quintain has been very supportive in providing a great environment for the Academy and we are all looking forward to the launch in September."
LDO is London's only outlet Centre, offering great brands with prices up to 70% below those on the high street. It has 50 stores, 20 restaurants, a play park and a 9‐screen cinema. Its opening added to a unique combination of attractions in Wembley Park, including Wembley Stadium, the SSE Arena and, opening in 2016, a state‐of‐the‐art theatre. In its first year of trading, LDO firmly established itself as one of London's most appealing retail and leisure destinations, attracting over 5.3million people in 2014.
About the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES):
The UK Commission for Employment and Skills is a publicly funded, industry‐led organisation providing strategic leadership on skills and employment issues in the four home nations of the UK. Together, its Commissioners comprise a social partnership that includes CEOs of large and small employers across a wide range of sectors, trade unions and representatives from the Devolved Administrations.
Its mission is to work with and through its partners to secure a greater commitment to invest in the
skills of people to drive enterprise, jobs and growth.
Laura Ashby
Project Coordinator
Tel: +44 (0)20 8912 5215 laura.ashby@gotocsp.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7251 3801
Quintain@finsbury.com
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