The Australian Retail Ready Youth PaTH-Way program is being rolled out with the support of the Australian government’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment to train young jobseekers and connect them to jobs with some of the biggest employers in the retail industry.
The program will initially support 200 young people aged 15 to 24, to gain skills and jobs in the retail sector mentored by retail-experienced trainers and mentors from the Retail Institute – the ARA’s registered training organisation.
On completion of the training, the candidates will be connected to jobs with the ARA employer partners. Following the successful launch of pilot cohorts in January, the program commenced from 1 February 2022 and will run through to 30 June 2022 across targeted regions in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania.
ARA chief executive Paul Zahra said the program will support more young people on their retail career paths and assist with ongoing staff shortages in the industry.
“Retail employs more young people than most other industries – it’s where many of us start off our careers, providing Australians with their first employment experience,” Mr Zahra said.
“The ARA is committed to providing better job outcomes for young Australians and is proud to be delivering this program which will set people up for a bright and rewarding career in retail.
“There’s around 36,000 job vacancies across the retail industry and many businesses continue to face challenges with staff shortages due to Covid-related issues. It’s important we strengthen skills and training opportunities for people starting off their careers, and that’s exactly what the ARA’s Retail Ready Youth PaTH-Way Program will deliver.”
