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Buchanan Galleries

  • Let the shopping Begin

    Buchanan Galleries shopping centre is in the middle of Glasgow city centre, and the heart of a city which loves to shop. We’re home to around 90 of the best retail names, including stores which aren’t found anywhere else in Glasgow – or even Scotland.
    Go on – what are you waiting for?!

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Retail Academy

The Glasgow Retail Academy is an innovative new project with twin aims:

  • to help Buchanan Galleries retailers by providing them with quality, trained staff
  • to help aspiring staff by equipping them with the skills for a career in retail

The Academy is located at the food court on the second floor of Buchanan Galleries. It offers short-term, pre-employment training programmes that focus on preparing individuals for a career in retail.

It was set up in January 2007 and has had great success in placing trainees into employment. The target is to progress more than 65% of trainees into a long-term retail career.

Offering a choice of 4-week and 6-week programmes, the Academy offers a win-win scenario for both students and participating employers. At the end of the programme businesses have access to a pool of enthusiastic, customer- focused individuals with key shop floor skills – along with the support of the Academy’s skilled and experienced staff.

In addition, this year it plans to launch a programme of bespoke practical qualifications for staff already working within retail, tailored specifically to the needs of retailers.

The Glasgow Retail Academy is truly a partnership project. It is managed and operated by Glasgow North Regeneration Agency (GNRA) on behalf of the Regeneration Agency Network and works in partnership with Buchanan Galleries and their retailers. It is funded in partnership with the Princes Trust Scotland and Scottish Enterprise Glasgow.

The Academy has recently been awarded contracts to deliver the Get Ready for Work programme until March 2008 together with an initiative to provide retail skills training to the over-25 age group. Our opportunities are structured as follows:

  • 16-18 > Get Ready for Work
  • 16-25 > Get into Retail (in association with the Princes Trust)
  • 25+ > Training for Work

GNRA has also been approved by the Scottish Qualifications Authority to carry out SVQ assessments, giving us the capacity to track “graduates” of the Academy and to offer them in-work assessment as part of their ongoing lifelong learning.

Visit the Retail Academy on the 2nd floor (next to the Food Gallery), or call 0141 553 4756.