Theo Paphitis: 'I wanted to get to the top'

Theo Paphitis tells Rob Cowen why an apprenticeship is one of the best ways to launch a high-flying career

If you are thinking about joining the retail industry or already working in the sector and keen to climb the ladder, a retail apprenticeship is a sensible choice. Successful big-name businesses such as Sainsbury's, Tesco, B&Q and Booths run the programme and openly praise its ability to unlock talent, build skills and expand opportunities for employees, giving them the chance to learn and progress while they earn. Theo Paphitis, an apprentice himself at the start of his career, is Skillsmart Retail's new retail apprentices' champion and intends to roll out the programme across all his businesses later this year.

When did you realise you wanted to work in the retail industry and what qualifications did you have?

The only qualification I got at school was a Scottish certificate in colouring-in maps, which is geography to you and me. Look, retail is my game. I spend every waking hour thinking about it. I started in the industry at the age of 18 after trying various other things that were mind-numbingly boring to me. The minute I stepped foot on the shop floor and started serving in a retail environment, I knew it was the career for me. I was a shop assistant for just one day and I thought, "This is it. This is the rest of my life. This is all I want to do."

How did an apprenticeship benefit you?

Well, I learned all my skills! Being in-store and learning was a whole new world. I was being paid, I was learning how to do a job, I was meeting the public and do you know what – it felt good. I knew things that other people didn't and for the first time in my life, being dyslexic, I managed to get some self-respect. People would come in and ask for my advice on something – no one had asked for my advice before! So when I look at retail now, with 290,000 businesses employing three million people, it's a brilliant opportunity for anybody who wants to get out there and make it happen. A retail apprenticeship is a great way to learn the skills and get the qualifications that will help people identify which area suits their personality and where they want their career to go.

What advantages does learning at work have over the classroom?

It is like no other form of learning as you are out there on the front line. It's one thing to be in a classroom, but if you are anything like me, you probably won't remember anything. I was useless in the classroom; I would spend my time looking out of the window after the first 10 minutes. But when you do an apprenticeship, you don't have to wait for the teacher to tell you when it's time to start, because you are on the shop floor learning for real. Sure, you'll make mistakes, but having somebody with you to guide you and put you right means you are confident from the outset.

What sort of people take up the retail apprenticeship?

All sorts. I meet lots of young retail apprentices and just talking to them gets me excited because they are "doers" and as passionate about the industry as me. They want to make it happen, they want to be the best, they want to progress – they want my job! For adults, whether changing career or coming into the labour market later in life, an apprenticeship is an excellent way to make the transition and pick up the skills.

Where can it take you?

I wanted to get to the top and it was a great beginning. When you qualify from the programme you then choose whereabouts in the industry you want to go or how far you want to go. You could work on the sales floor of a high-street fashion store or behind the scenes in head office. It's up to you whether you want to be a senior sales assistant, assistant manager, manager, area manager, director or the owner of the business.

Is it still worth doing training programmes like this in a recession?

You know what, in times like these, when the economy is in difficulties and we are in a recession, employers are especially looking for skills. Apprenticeships guarantee the best skill set any employer could wish for when taking somebody on for a role, so definitely. Plus, apprentices benefit the businesses they work in from the minute they step onto the shop floor, because they are contributing. They are meeting people, serving, talking and making a difference as they learn.

But why is training so important when there are so many other things to worry about in this economic climate?

People often ask me how our business is faring in this recession and I always tell them that we are not doing too badly. But, in truth, I'm being a bit modest and that's really down to our staff. They have all undergone extensive training and that training is borne out in the sales figures that they deliver week in, week out. Training has been the department that we have never scrimped on in any of my organisations. That has made the difference in good times and bad. In good times we have had great staff retention, great staff knowledge and we're there with the best of them. In bad times, we've not only retained staff but our sales figures as well. Without training there is no success and it has made the difference between us and the people that have failed in our industry.

How do you see the next 12 months for retailers?

It's got to be back to basics for all of us – doing the simple things well, such as looking after customers and training staff. A lot of retail companies in the UK ended up in the hands of leveraged businesses whose whole idea of running retail was to cut costs to the bone, get maximum profits and sell on. That world has ended and we need to put the basic but important things back in place; that is the art of great retailing.

Visit www.nsaforretail.com for further information

'I love working with people and the job satisfaction that brings'

Richard Ford completed an apprenticeship in retail and is now a store manager at Booths in Cheshire

"I remember my teacher saying, 'What are you going to do with retail? It's a dead-end job.' When I started working evenings and weekends at Booths in Windermere, aged 16, I was extremely shy and had zero confidence, but there's nothing like going to work with 150 other staff and interacting with customers to boost your people skills!

My apprenticeship meant getting what I was already doing in my role as an assistant manager down on paper: building and creating displays, making sure presentation was up to company standards, things like that. But I realised just how important an apprenticeship can be to people looking to progress, and how it fits in perfectly with working in-store.

Even though I'm now a store manager, it's still the same story as it was when I was a Saturday lad. I love working with people and the job satisfaction that brings. The customers and staff make this job, from the shop floor to central office."