Retail & Commercial Enterprise

Working in Retail, as an Apprentice you need good people skills and the ability to cope with pressure. Jobs in this industry can range from Retail Assistant to Store Management and involve dealing with cash, credit cards and stock control. The recent changes in the retail industry include the development of regional shopping centres and buying on the internet. Shopping is now the UK's number one leisure time activity and the sector is forecast to grow even further. In Wholesale, Distribution, Warehousing and Storage, you could be working in a warehouse, delivering goods to customers, controlling large machinery for storage or in stock control. This industry is continuously changing with improved working conditions and increased use of technology. An Apprenticeship is the best way to keep up to date with these changes.

Working in Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy will normally mean working in a salon, a health spa, hairdressers or leisure centre. For Beauty this could be offering a range of treatments such as massage, manicure or tanning. There are a lot of techniques and skills to learn and these will need to be practised before you can try them out on full paying customers. If you choose to entrer this line of work, you need to be friendly, confident and tactful. It is also likely you will be using a lot of different care products and chemicals so you must not suffer from allergies or skin conditions.

In Hospitality and Catering, opportunities exist for all sorts of people, in all sorts of jobs. As an Apprentice you could be working in a restaurant, pub, fast food outlet or hotel. Contract catering in hospitals, staff restaurants and schools is another area. Finally, there are opportunities in entertaining and hospitality where you can work at a location or event. All these jobs involve working with the public, so you'll need to be a "people" person. Hospitality can involve long and unsociable hours.