The nationally-recognised qualification gives managers the opportunity to see how other retailers operate. “It was great as it helped me look outside our business for ideas. So versus it being a stepping stone into the industry, I used it as a fantastic external tool to get a feel for what other retailers were doing in order to see how we could improve our performance.”

When Isis joined the Lion Liquor Retail chain she brought a degree in communications, marketing and management from Waikato University. She started as a manager at Liquor King Whakatane, and when she became a Regional Manager decided she wanted to know more about retail nitty-gritty, so Isis completed ServiceIQ’s National Certificate in Retail Level 4 on-job.

“If you haven’t worked in a store and got practical experience then this qualification is a good tool to get a well-rounded view of how a retail store works. The theory and the practice can be very different at times, so someone in management would benefit greatly from understanding what it is like on the coal face.”

Isis moved from store manager, through to regional manager roles, and is now the National Operations Leader in the chain’s Support Office. The retail qualification is still relevant, and Isis now has the opportunity to apply its lessons across the entire chain.

“One of the key initiatives I’m currently implementing stemmed from a light bulb moment while doing my Level 4. With the knowledge I gained in the programme, I saw we had a real opportunity to introduce new software which would free up time so our team can spend more time with the customers. The opportunity cost with our current software is that we are losing potential sales because we don’t have the resource required to spend with customers on the shop floor. Releasing staff time via improved technology will allow us to drive sales through an improved customer experience.”

“Overall I found this qualification will allow you to use industry best in class knowledge to make quality decision at a management level.”