Jewellers shines bright with new staff training scheme
LUNN’S Jewellers is celebrating after receiving an award for excellence in retail.
Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR) is a leading UK awarding body which provides qualifications for learners of all ages providing a framework for employers to deliver a recognised qualification to staff.
All 27 members of Lunn’s sales and service team recently completed the OCR level two ‘Retail Knowledge’ qualification. The programme, developed by Lunn’s using OCR criteria, is an in-house programme that was mapped by South Eastern Regional College.
Experienced industry professionals provided team members with extensive training and exams to develop their skills.
The training was funded by Department for Employment & Learning’s Customised Training Programme.
Lunn’s is one of the first independent retail businesses in Northern Ireland to have developed and delivered such an OCR programme entirely inhouse with funding from DEL.
Congratulating Lunn’s on their training commitment during a ceremony at the MAC, the minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry said:
“I welcome that my department, through its Skills Solutions Service and funding from the Customised Training Programme, has been able to support this local business to develop the skills of its staff.
“The Skills Solutions Service provides advice and assistance to small and medium-sized companies to help them identify and find the training they need, and then support them through its delivery by working with local colleges, in this case with SERC.
“This award for excellence in retail is a collaborative example of organisations working together to deliver results which will benefit both Lunn’s as a business and the individuals within it as they improve their skills.”
People development manager at Lunn’s Jewellers, Lizanne Gibson, said: “At Lunn’s, we have a deep-rooted commitment to delivering the best training to every member of our team. It’s beneficial to team morale and it’s beneficial to our business.
“Competing in retail requires the highest level of customer service to ensure that our brand stands out in a competitive market.
“At Lunn’s we continuously strive to make everyone’s role genuinely rewarding by fully supporting staff development — this is the reason why we have teamed up with DEL and SERC to develop this relevant and practical qualification.”