Drake Circus helps Plymouth residents get a foot on the career ladder with free training

Drake Circus is giving people in Plymouth the chance to embark on a free five-week training programme, designed to provide them with the skills they need to build a successful career in retail or hospitality.

The ‘Bright Lights Starting Out in Retail and Hospitality’ programme gets underway in February and will combine classroom teaching alongside work placements at one of Drake Circus’s retail, food and beverage or leisure brands. At the end of the scheme, trainees will receive their formal qualifications at an official celebration event at the end of the programme.

Throughout the course, trainees will also get access to training from industry experts, support with interviews and CV writing, as well as a personal mentor.

The new programme will be funded by Drake Circus’s owner British Land, and delivered in partnership with The Source Skills Academy – a leading centre of excellence for retail and customer service training.

To take part, locals need to sign up to the taster session on 14th February, which will provide them with a flavour of what the programme will involve and an opportunity to speak to some of the course leaders.

Greg Lumley, centre manager at Drake Circus, said: “The Bright Lights Starting Out in Retail and Hospitality programme is a fantastic way for unemployed people in Plymouth to discover their potential and gain valuable experience of what it’s like to work in the dynamic retail and hospitality sectors.

“The programme coincides with busy recruitment periods at the centre so we, together with our retailers, can’t wait to welcome the new trainees and offer them on-the-job training and support so they can really kickstart their careers.”

Dianne Wainwright, Head of Operations at The Source Skills Academy, said: “We’re giving local people the chance to obtain nationally recognised qualifications and work experience at some of the country’s biggest retail and hospitality brands.

“We urge Plymouth’s jobseekers to sign up to attend our taster session on 14th February, where they’ll get the chance to learn more about the course and hear about our many success stories first-hand.”

To find out more information or sign up to the taster session, email brightlights@thesourceacademy.co.uk or call 0114 263 5619.