Have you ever wondered why some people are in retail? From the dull supervisor with no personality to the sales assistant who will not leave you alone? If you think you can do better and have a real passion to sell products and services to customers, then consider an apprenticeship in retail.

Retail encompasses many businesses, from independent small shops, to chains and megastores that cover the length and breadth of the country. There are opportunities to work in a variety of product areas, from fashion and home equipment to markets and mail order. The skills retail will give you are transferable, so once you qualify there are no limits as to where you can’t work.

The tasks required of an apprentice will vary between companies. You could be helping customers with their choices on a high street store or dealing with their purchases to organising displays and learning the important aspects of management. Or, you could be working in a specialist department, becoming an expert in a specific product and a customer’s dream when answering their questions. Any of the skills you acquire from a retail apprenticeship can be transferred to all retail companies, so you’ll never be stuck to one area of products or services.

Once completing an apprenticeship in retail there is the opportunity to move on to an advanced apprenticeship where the training will focus on a more specific role to gain greater skills in your preferred speciality. You will also handle more responsibility and gain important management skills which will serve you well in a variety of product areas. Completing an advanced apprenticeship could see you supervising your own store and implementing your own ideas to make it successful.

In order to be a success in retail, Notgoingtouni.co.uk believes you must be enthusiastic, mature, confident and responsible; this is because you will need to be able to deal with the many different situations that will arise. This could be shortage of staff, managing staff, shop lifters and the much feared nightmare customers. Your appearance must be presentable; it must be consistent with the image that the retailer wishes to present to their customers.

The UK’s retail sector has a young workforce, is vibrant and offers many opportunities for early career progression – after you are qualified you can earn a salary from 11k-15k. The retail environment can be exciting but testing so be sure you are ready to take on the challenge. If you think you can tick all of the above boxes then an apprentice in retail is for you.

Notgoingtouni guides young adults with their careers by showing jobs and training that exist outside of university. It is packed full of apprenticeships, distance learning, foundation degrees, gap years and voluntary work as well as ways to get a sponsored degree. Visit the site for free career guides and more than 300 videos.