Success Story

Train Right, Do Right, ShopRite

It looks like your friendly neighborhood ShopRite grocery store at first glance - there's the double-sided shelving stocked with merchandise, four point-of-sale scanners and cash registers at the checkout. At second glance, the room morphs into a classroom with tables and chairs, and with students training for entry-level positions as grocery store cashiers.

The "real-world" classroom is part of a fast-paced, interactive training program designed to boost employee retention at Wakefern Food Corporation's stores in southern New Jersey, where the turnover rate was a staggering 70 percent.

Thanks to Goodwill of Southern New Jersey/Quaker City (GISNJ/QC), that dismal statistic is a thing of the past.

The Partners in Training Program began in September 2003 with a simple premise - combine the technical components of cashier training (such as merchandise scanning and credit card transactions) with support from Goodwill employment case managers who can assist potential employees with their job search, find them appropriate attire, and help coordinate reliable transportation. The icing on the cake is the guarantee of employment at a ShopRite store upon completion of the program.

Training lasts four weeks, with classes that meet eight hours a day, Monday through Friday. Classes are small, with one instructor per 15 trainees; individual tutoring is available to those who require extra assistance in completing the program. The realistic yet "safe" environment means it's OK to make mistakes as part of the learning experience.

All merchandise, coupon, sales and other ShopRite data are updated weekly via a direct T-1 connection to the Wakefern headquarters. In the mock store and classroom, a web-based application linked to headquarters scores the trainees in the applications they perform.

Since trainees are aware of guaranteed employment at a local ShopRite store upon program completion, much of the classroom instruction is centered on becoming a good employee and minimizing the barriers to job retention. "We have geared this program around the simple philosophy that employers want employees with good work behaviors and minimal barriers to employment," says Joseph Doney, GISNJ/QC Vice President of Employment Services.

Since the Goodwill began training their entry-level employees, local ShopRite stores have experienced a 30 percent increase in retention rates.

Quaker City Goodwill believes that business partnerships like the Partners in Training Program are integral to bringing quality workers into the local labor force and the local economy. According to Doney, "If more business partnerships were developed and patterned after this type of program, more people would obtain jobs and begin the road to self-sufficiency." Moreover, employers are the big winners as they save thousands of dollars in recruiting and training costs, while improving productivity at the same time. 

Source: Working! Winter 2005