Fashion retail academy wins praise
Tuesday, 31 Oct 2006 12:15
High street fashion companies are looking for new talent
Sir Philip Green has advocated the first fashion retail academy in the UK, insisting it will help plug the country's skills shortage.
The academy, brainchild of the head of the Arcadia group, will open next week to groom future retailers for the clothing industry. It was established in response to a challenge by government for industry to play a greater role in the education and training of its future employees.
Sir Philip explained to BBC Radio Five Live that he thought the skills required to succeed in the clothing industry were better acquired before, rather than at, university.
"I think at a young age it's easier actually to develop people's skills than it is maybe four, five years later when they've come from university and they've got a particular direction. It actually may be sometimes harder to change their thinking," he said.
Sir Philip's new academy won praise from the chief executive of Marks and Spencer, Stuart Rose, who told the Today programme that he considered the initiative "a very important step in making sure that the next generation of retailers come through and are trained in a practical way".
"We are hungry for talented people," Mr Rose said. "We shall be using this resource as a recruiting tool, as I am sure will other retailers."