Innovations - A training scheme that trades on looks

Adam Branson, Regeneration & Renewal, 18 January 2008

The company works in partnership with bodies such as councils and town centre management teams to access public funding and persuade traders to undertake an eight-week, part-time college course. According to a report by the Association of Town Centre Management, greengrocers, fashion shops, jewellers, opticians and electrical retailers have all enjoyed increased sales after the training, which covers topics such as stock management, window displays, signs, store layout and lighting. Susan Williams, director and founder of Vision On Training, answers our panel's questions.

Q: How do you get firms to commit to the scheme when losing staff for eight weeks' training can have a massive impact, especially on small businesses?

A: We do get a lot of resistance initially: everyone says "no" at first. So we sit down with them and explain how they'll benefit. It is about building up a relationship with them. Before the eight weeks of training, we take them through the course's elements and start offering tips. We ask how we can design the training to make it most convenient for them: for example, which days are busiest and what the best time would be. We then look at what people have told us and schedule the training accordingly.

Q: Do you have much contact with the council after they have engaged your services?

A: Yes. Forming a lasting partnership with the council, the town centre manager and the market manager, among others, is key in making contact with the right people, because they know the area, who has influence among the market traders and which businesses most need help.

Q: What physical impact does the scheme have on town centres?

A: It can have a really profound effect on the appearance of a town centre. People start to take responsibility for the presentation of their premises and the space outside, rather than just blaming the council. If the space outside a shop or around a market stall is covered in litter, it puts customers off. People soon realise that it's in their own best interests to get out there and pick up the litter themselves.

Q: Does the training vary much from place to place?

A: The basic training model - the mechanism, if you like - doesn't change, because it's been proven to work. There are variants according to each area - we might change the time of day the training takes place, or the order in which the modules are presented - but the basic idea is much the same.

Q: What sorts of businesses are eligible to participate?

A: It depends on the source of funding and on local regeneration goals. We've secured funding from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Single Regeneration Budget and the European Social Fund over the years. It's always publicly funded, and that's vital: people wouldn't participate if they had to pay the full cost.

THE PANEL

Questions were compiled with help from Victoria Bradford, policy consultant at think-tank the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, and Sharon Clarke, town centre manager for Worthing.

- Contact us If you know of an innovative scheme that merits closer scrutiny, email Adam Branson at adam.branson@haymarket.com.