Skills4Retail Alliance gathers for 6th meeting to explore emerging retail skills and learning innovation

The Skills4Retail Alliance met online on 11 November 2025 for its 6th meeting, bringing together partners from across Europe to share progress, learn from real-world practice and plan the next steps for preparing learners and workers for the future of retail.

Hosted by Business Development Coordinator Nicole Bartolo, the session focused on two key themes: the rollout of the Emerging Training Programme under Work Package 4 and fresh perspectives on how to engage learners and professionals through podcasts and school based innovation projects.

Spotlight on Emerging Trainings under Work Package 4

The meeting opened with an update on Work Package 4: Pilot Implementation of Emerging Trainings. The Emerging Training Programme has been co developed by the University of Bucharest and Skillnet Ireland to equip learners with forward looking skills that match the evolving realities of the retail sector.

The programme is structured around two distinct pathways:

• Pathway 1 – New Entrants to Retail: for students, jobseekers and early stage employees who need solid foundations in customer service, digital tools and workplace readiness.
• Pathway 2 – Retail Managers and Aspiring Managers: for experienced staff who want to build skills in leadership, digital transformation, workforce management and strategic thinking.

Across eight pilot countries (Austria, Ireland, Romania, Latvia, Portugal, Czech Republic, Malta and Hungary), partners will work with education providers and employers to test and refine the new curricula. For each module, a complete training package has been developed, including a module booklet, detailed lesson plans, workshop activities, slide decks and promotional videos to support trainers with practical, ready to use resources.

Collecting evidence through structured reporting

Partners were reminded of the importance of systematic reporting to capture the reach and impact of the pilots. Each partner will complete a common data template that records:

• Education institutions involved in delivery, including type, size and role in the project.
• Companies and employers engaged as sourcing partners, internship hosts or stakeholders.
• In education or training cohorts, covering learners participating in piloted modules.
• In employment cohorts, where upskilling activities are delivered directly in companies.
• Communication and dissemination activities used to promote Skills4Retail and the Emerging Trainings.

This shared evidence base will help the Alliance understand where the programme is gaining traction, which partnerships are most effective and how Skills4Retail contributes to employment outcomes for learners.

Learning from retail podcasting with 20/CENT Retail

The Alliance then heard from Vincent Panneels, Retail Influencer and founder of 20/CENT Retail. Drawing on two decades of experience in B2B press, field marketing and brand representation, Vincent explained how his content platform has evolved into a hub for retail professionals, attracting around 130,000 visitors per month.

He highlighted why podcasts are such a powerful format for the sector. Interviews capture authentic voices without being filtered through lengthy editing processes, while short audio episodes fit the reality of retail professionals who listen on the shop floor, between meetings or on their commute. Vincent shared examples of interview based episodes, opinion pieces and concept presentations, and outlined how he sees the future in multi format platforms that integrate articles, podcasts, videos and social media content.

Finally, he reflected on the strong alignment between Skills4Retail and 20/CENT Retail. Both aim to raise awareness of the opportunities in retail, address misalignments between skills supply and demand, and support professionals to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Vincent invited Skills4Retail partners to explore opportunities for joint content, visibility and storytelling.

Voices from the classroom: empowering students through Skills4Retail themes

The second invited speaker was Dr Aspasia Koutsouli from the 3rd Junior High School of Argyroupolis in Athens, Greece. Aspasia shared a powerful case study on how her school is building a culture of innovation, entrepreneurship and European engagement for students aged 12 to 15.

The school’s vision places student empowerment at the centre. Learning is designed to help young people connect classroom content with real world challenges, develop confidence and leadership, and build twenty first century skills such as creativity, collaboration, resilience and ethical use of technology.

Through projects like Odyssey Enterprises, students turned Homer’s Odyssey into modern business concepts, creating 15 student led companies and an award winning escape room experience that attracted more than 300 visitors and won first prize in the JA Greece Company Junior competition. Other initiatives focused on AI for environmental behaviour change, financial literacy and digital safety, often carried out through European programmes such as Foodathon, DDTI, Dream Wisely and Girls Go Circular.

The measurable results are clear: hundreds of students have engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation projects, many have gained recognition at national and European level, and the school has seen strong improvements in self confidence, teamwork, communication and responsibility.

Aspasia explained why Skills4Retail is a natural next step for her students. Retail combines human skills, digital skills and values based service, providing a rich context for young people to understand modern workplaces and see how they can create value for others. She invited Skills4Retail partners to co create micro learning modules, student challenges, mentoring opportunities and cross country projects that connect classrooms with real retail settings.

Next steps for the Skills4Retail Alliance

In the closing remarks, partners looked ahead to the next phase of collaboration.

Partners are encouraged to stay connected through the Skills4Retail LinkedIn group, share news and stories from their countries, and continue working together to inspire the next generation of retail talent.