Retail Skills Centers &
Shopping Center Developers

Working with shopping mall developers, local, state, and federal workforce agencies, schools and colleges,
community groups, and local retailers, NRF Foundation established multiple Retail Skills Centers (RSC) around the country. The Retail Skills Centers partners bring their expertise and resources to address the
opportunities and challenges of the ever-growing retail industry and help to network and match retailers
with qualified and trained candidates.

These centers recruit, assess, train, place and, where necessary, coach new associates for local and regional retailers and other service industry employers often at no cost to the companies. They provide core customer service and sales training to prepare new, job-ready workers; as well as advanced training for employers, and workers seeking higher skills and advancement opportunities. In addition, the RSCs provide job fairs, special programs for incumbent retail employees, and customized hiring and training programs for local retailers. These Skills Centers have placed more than 65,000 qualified people in retail jobs over the past ten years.

The Retail Skills Centers provide:

• Workers with employability, communication, interpersonal, problem-solving, and other customer service and sales skills and knowledge needed to be successful in retail and service sector careers.
  
  
• Students with essential work readiness skills for initial work experiences, as well as help them to understand the value of customer service as life long skills, and the importance of earning industry credential that help align professional and academic goals.
  
  
• Educators with opportunities to team with industry and align technical education and job readiness programs with industry expectations and credentials.
  
  
• Employers with a dedicated avenue to recruit, prepare and advance their worker's skills, thereby reducing hiring and turnover costs, and advancing career opportunities in retail and other service industries.
  
  
• Workforce and government leaders with a proven strategy to address the workforce issues of a strong economic development sector, while promoting industry certifications, and education credentials that lead to high wage job opportunities.

Retail Skills Centers Locations:

These centers were built with the support of our Shopping Center Developer Partners: Westfield, General Growth Properties, and KRAVCO/Simon.

• CA Bay Area Customer Service Training Center, Oakland
  
  
• CA Institute for Sales and Service Excellence at Westfield Palm Desert
  
  
• CA Customer Service Learning Center at Westfield Fox Hills, Culver City
  
  
• CT Sales & Service Learning Center at Westfield CT Post, Milford
  
  
• IL Center for Professional Development at Westfield Old Orchard, Skokie
  
  
• IL Chicago ServiceWorks


• KS Hospitality Education and Retail Training, Kansas City
  
  
• MD Sales and Service Training Center at Arundel Mills, Hanover
  
  
• MD MontgomeryWorks Sales & Service Learning Center at Westfield Wheaton
  
  
• NJ Jersey City Customer Service Skills Center
  
  
• NJ Institute for Service Excellence at Atlantic Cape Community College
  
  
• NJ Retail Skills Center at Jersey Gardens
  
  
• NC Sales & Service Training Center at Northgate, Durham
  
  
• NY NYC City Sales and Service Training Partnership
  
  
• NY Retail Skills Center at the Mall at Greece Ridge, Rochester
  
  
• NY Sales & Service Training Institute at Tomorrow's Workplace, Spring Valley
  
  
• NY Tompkins Workforce, Ithaca
  
  
• RI Providence Skills Center
  
  
• TX Institute for Customer Service Excellence-SW Region, El Paso
  
  
• WA Washington Institute for Service Excellence, Tacoma
  
  
• WI Multicultural Community Services, Milwaukee