For WOMEN in ENGLAND there is funding available for the Society of Shoe Fitters course. The next course starts October lst, but if you wish to receive a large percentage of the course fee refunded, you need to apply for the course and the funding NOW. The funds are extremely limited in comparison to other years, so an application has to be made immediately. If you would like a course place, are a woman and living/working in England you need to complete the SSF course application form (available for download online: www.shoefitters-uk.org), and email it to Laura West, Secretary (SSF) requesting funding contact details. The secretary cannot guarantee funding as this is a government initiative and it is entirely based on a 'first come first served' basis.
Our next course starts on October 1st and don't forget your colleagues get a £50 discount -AND training and membership costs are tax deductable. Now is the time to let staff know how valuable they are - or could be, to your business. So, if you want your first contact with prospective customers to be bright, knowledgeable and helpful and above all qualified to perform the task set to them, then please contact Laura immediately for an application form.
Forms can be emailed. Also, the government grant offering up to 75% off of the course fee (for women working in England only) called Women in the Workplace, is available from Skillfast and open again to students. Sadly it was not confirmed to us until a short while ago and the budget has being going quickly. There will be a waiting list though, so for more information please contact Sue Green, Skills Manager Tel. 0113-2399600 or Mobile: 07736-083528.
As the Autumn/Winter buying time is now upon us, maybe we should ponder and think a little: Are these goods going to be made by people getting a ‘living’ wage? Are they being created by better environmental methods? Perhaps a little difficult to get one’s head around, but it’s no harm giving it a thought!
This season and this year are going to be tough for all businesses, already word is coming through of some closures in our part of the world (Ireland). Not before time it is imperative that suppliers and retailers work together, but in many cases this sadly is not happening (to my knowledge – but pleased to hear from members who think differently). Business is a two-way street and should be beneficial to both parties.
Chiropodists stocking and selling shoes has added a new dimension to footwear retailing. But, is the footwear retail trade missing a trick here? Think about it… The shoe buying experience is not always what it’s cracked up to be, but now there is the opportunity for shoe retailers to offer value added services that could increase the customer footfall (literally), revitalise retail shoes stores and put the sale of shoes on the Internet on the back foot.
Picture it. Instead of the conventional shoes store with shoes lined up on racks or perched on display stands, the new “Shoe Heaven™” is a shoe and foot health emporium as inviting as an upmarket coffee house, a five-star health spa or a first class airport lounge.
As I write it seems that the world has become "expert" shoe fitters. With over 31 years in the shoe trade, I feel that there is always something new to learn. Design and manufacturing methods are being revised and upgraded constantly and we rely on our agents and suppliers to keep us informed of this. Catalogues no longer have precious specifications informing us which ‘last' a shoe was made on and what materials are used - unfortunate, as they were a great help to buyers and fitters alike.
We as shoe fitters must be on our guard as advice being given by "amateurs" and occasionally those who should know better, is often ill informed, illconceived and sometimes wrong. We must endeavour to right these inaccuracies in the same way as before, with honest, courteous service and advice to our customers.
Reward...for anyone who can tell me what happened to the summer? One minute we are anticipating great weather (for a change), had our fingers crossed the ‘credit crunch' will last as long as a box of Cornflakes and are being told that UK tourism is facing a boom year, then our media is frightening us with ‘killer' swine flu, unemployment statistics and a plague of biting ladybirds of biblical proportions....lovely! One can only imagine that shares in Paracetamol related products and distillers of Lambrini are worth investing in at the moment, but ‘playing safe/being sensible' putting any spare cash in the bank (did I hear someone laugh?) is a definite no-no. Take heart those of you who lost money in Iceland (and I don't mean the weekly shop), the Icelandic government have just decided to pay you back over time, so there is good news on the horizon for some.
Our next course starts on October 1st and don't forget your colleagues get a £50 discount - AND training and membership costs are tax deductable. Now is the time to let staff know how valuable they are - or could be, to your business. So, if you want your first contact with prospective customers to be bright, knowledgeable and helpful and above all qualified to perform the task set to them, then please contact Laura immediately for an application form.
