Overview
The Retail Apprenticeship Programme (Certificate in Retail Operations) helps interested individuals, mid-career workers, unemployed or those who wish to switch careers, equipped with the right skills, attitude, and working experience to enhance their employability in the retail industry.

Objectives of Retail Apprenciceship Programme
The objectives of Retail Apprenticeship Programme:

1. Provide a training pathway to acquire the skills and knowledge to make career switch into the retail industry
2. Facilitate job placement and retention

Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the programme, applicants must:

1. Be Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident;
2. Have at least secondary education
3. Have a minimum ESS Workplace Literacy and Numeracy (WPLN) Level 3.

Programme Structure
Applicants will undergo the necessary recruitment process to be screened and interviewed by the sponsoring companies. Successful applicants will embark on a structured apprenticeship programme with the participating companies while pursuing the Certificate in Retail Operations, developed from the Retail Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) Framework at the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies (SIRS) for a period of 4 months (typically 2 days of training at SIRS per week with the rest at the workplace).

Trainees are required to complete the programme and serve a 4 months bond with the sponsoring company. The first programme intake will commence on 4 May 2009.

Programme Funding
Trainees will receive a monthly stipend in accordance to sponsoring companies’ existing salary structure during the training period. WDA will co-fund 50% of the training stipend.

The nett course fee payable for Certificate in Retail Operations after WDA funding is $128.40 (incl. GST) per trainee. The full course fee will be borne by the sponsoring companies.

Contact Details
Please contact the following for more information:

Singapore Institute of Retail Studies
SIRS @ HDB Hub
490, Lorong 6, Toa Payoh
# 08-10/11, HDB Hub
Biz Three, Lobby One
Singapore 310490

Tel: 6222 7477
Fax: 6397 2137
Email: rap@sirs.edu.sg

Interested applicants can download the application form and send the completed form to rap@sirs.edu.sg.

Download Application Form.

Application period for the first intake is from 27 March 2009 to 11 April 2009. Only shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview with the participating companies.