good retail service = workforce training = staff retention

How does the fast food industry attract and retain quality staff? A leading Queensland retail group has addressed this challenge through the provision of accredited training and development opportunities for their employees.

The Collins Foods Group (CFG) operates 118 KFC Restaurants in Queensland and Tweed Heads (NSW). The Company also owns and operates Sizzler Australia. The KFC business employs over 4000 team members and 500 Management employees.

For the Collins Food Group, knowing about and having access to accredited retail training has meant that through the assistance of ACPET Member - First Impressions Resources (fir) they have been able to offer traineeship programs, that support clear training pathways for the business, while offering career steps to their staff.

Many Restaurant General Managers start out as entry level employees, often as school students or school leavers and progress their careers through internal training systems.

However due to a new national Diploma training opportunity, those working in the industry can now reengage with external learning, gain a qualification and work to advance their careers.

Collins Food Group HR Manager, Judy Fenton said the company is dedicated to establishing a workplace environment where people can excel and be rewarded for their performance.

“Since we recently offered the Diploma training program to our staff, within the first week we had over 60 Management employees take up the opportunity.”

“This training provides retail employees with an alternative career pathway to an academic stream and also enables the business to offer staff training and longevity, and from a business perspective we are already seeing the results from the investment we’ve made in training.”

The Collins Food Group has partnered with fir to be one of the first to take advantage of new national funding, which is poised to deliver high quality management training.

A 10 year training partnership between fir and the Collins Food Group has resulted in the completion of more than 1,600 retail traineeships and 330 qualifications.

fir provides flexible delivery options for a wide range of nationally recognised workplace qualifications, from tertiary to university level.

fir delivers accredited training throughout Australia, from Certificate II in Retail through to Certificate IV in Retail Management and more recently has provided retailers with a pathway to the Masters of Retail Management through the Diploma qualification.

With 77,000 retailers in Australia; operating more than 200,000 retail outlets; and producing more than $200 billion in annual sales, the challenge of building and retaining a high performing retail workforce is increasing.

For more information visit: www.fir.edu.au or contact Maxine Cheilyk at fir on phone (07) 3236 3322.

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Media contact: Lindy Smith on 0448 431 521 or email media [at] redambition [dot] com [dot] au