Last updated 18/03/2011
Morrisons has been declared Employer of the Year at the prestigious Oracle Retail Week Awards 2011, the second such major retail industry award secured by the supermarket during the past 12 months.
In a ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, last night (17th March), a panel of judges comprising some of the most influential names in the UK retail sector recognised Morrisons for its commitment to training, with every retail employee offered the opportunity to achieve a nationally recognised qualification.
Morrisons was also named Employer of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards 2010.
As part of its dedication to developing employees, the UK’s fourth largest supermarket has launched its own Academy and aims to train all 40,000 of its 16 to 24 year old employees to achieve a QCF Level 2 Retail Skills Qualification. Morrisons is also the largest provider of apprenticeships in the UK, with plans to train more than 12,000 apprentices this year. With one third of all staff in the retail industry aged under 25, a demographic that faces some of the biggest challenges in today’s jobs market, Morrisons’ commitment emphasises the pivotal role that the retail sector plays in helping young people into work.
More generally, the Oracle Retail Week Awards highlights the essential role of the retail industry in creating employment opportunities throughout the UK. As stated by the British Retail Consortium last month, 80% of the new jobs announced at the Prime Minister's January Jobs Summit will be in retail, including 5,700 new jobs which Morrisons announced it would create by opening new stores, as well as 300 in manufacturing.
Speaking about the award, Tim Danaher, Editor of Retail Week, commented: “Morrisons’ commitment to the training and development of its people is a great example of the important contribution that retailers make to the wider UK skills agenda. But, more than that, it demonstrates good commercial sense, ensuring Morrisons staff have the knowledge and expertise to meet the needs of today’s increasingly sophisticated and demanding shopper.”
Norman Pickavance, Morrisons Group HR Director, said: “This latest award is a fantastic result and, after winning the Employer of the Year category at both of the retail industry’s major awards ceremonies, it represents an important milestone on our journey to becoming one of the best big companies to work for in the UK.
“Our pathways for career development see colleagues progress from shop floor to the top floor, gaining relevant, practical qualifications as they go. Over 30% of our top management started their career on the shop floor and we know this is an approach that gives us a strong culture, a committed workforce and a competitive edge going forward.”
Sarah Taylor, Marketing Director, Oracle Retail added: “These Awards showcase the very best in British retail, providing the platform to celebrate the achievements of those individuals and organisations that make this industry successful. Oracle is committed to supporting the development of excellence, innovation, creativity and agility within retail businesses and we offer our congratulations to Morrisons for this accolade.”