A retailer's dream is to make sales and ensure customers' loyalty. This dream can only be a reality through focused customer attention, good merchandise value proposition and concerted efforts of retail staff and employers working hand in glove. This would require innovative business practices, skills training, customer service and capitalising on trends and new knowledge.

The Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS) is a CET (Continuing Education & Training) division of Nanyang Polytechnic. It was the first CET Centre set up in January 2006 as a collaborative project between Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) to upgrade the skills profile and to raise the professionalism of the retail workforce in Singapore. Through various skills-upgrading programmes and services for the industry, SIRS aims to build a world-class and customer-centric retail workforce for Singapore.

As a training institute for the retail industry, SIRS is your workforce development partner. Our comprehensive services include:

• Enhancing the capability of the retail professionals with relevant and industry-recognised training and development.
• Developing training programs through research-driven course development and world-class adult education and training pedagogy.
• Matching trained and nationally-certified workers to retailers' manpower needs.
• Developing & sustaining new knowledge, especially on retail trends and strategies for the regional market to sustain a competitive retail sector.
• Providing best practices and standards in the retail sector through applied research, reports & information.

In a short 5 years’ span to-date, SIRS has trained more than 32,000 individuals in the Retail WSQ programmes and delivered over 73,000 training places.

Headed by a Director and supported by a team of 10 administrative and support staff, SIRS has 12 experienced full-time trainers who are ACTA qualified. In addition, SIRS has a pool of over 50 qualified Associate Trainers who have working experience in the retail, hospitality, training and/or service sectors of the economy.