GLASGOW shopping centre The Forge hosted a visit from St Mungo’s Academy as part of the school’s ‘Skills for Work Retail’ program.
Pupils were welcomed into the centre based in the city’s East End, where staff took them on an interactive tour and organised a series of activities and challenges to broaden their skills.
The complex also arranged for staff at Primark, one of the shops situated within the centre, to give career talks to inspire the students.
The Forge has more than 400,000 ft² of stores and, as one of Scotland’s premier shopping centres, it was the perfect hub for local pupils to learn the inner workings of the industry.
Jade Wilkie, marketing manager at The Forge, said: “Those that are familiar with our shopping centre will already know how involved we try to be in the local community. When St Mungo’s approached us and asked if hosting their retail program was possible, we jumped at the chance.
“Times are difficult; we need to be providing our younger generations with the necessary tools, knowledge, and experience to help them grab the best opportunities upon leaving school. We’re delighted we can offer them exactly that from a retail perspective.”
All participating students provided positive feedback, with each of the ten pupils behind the feedback forms either rating the experience ‘good’, ‘very good’, or ‘excellent’, and all circling yes in answer to if they would consider working in retail after finishing their education.
When asked what they learned during the experience, Ellie answered: “how customers impact the retail community”, Jennifer commented: “how the shopping centre runs and behind the scenes of certain shops”, and Ben said: “the inner workings of The Forge and the retail sector.”
Sandra Berwick, coordinator for developing the young workforce at St Mungo’s Academy, said: “The pupils developed a broad awareness of the skills and attributes required to work in retail and customer service roles and local careers opportunities.
“A huge thank you to the team at the Forge Shopping Centre for hosting the visit. We look forward to working in partnership with them again in the future for further educational and employability activities.”
For more information or if you would like your school to get involved please contact The Forge, visit www.forgeshopping.com/ or email customerservices@forgeshopping.com
