Selwyn Times: November 08, 2016

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Tuesday [Edition datE] November 8 2016
ARA BUSINESS
Upskilling leads to a
rewarding retail career
A change of mind and flexible study
options brought Neil Chand to the job he
loved. Four years ago Neil was in his last
year of his biochemistry degree, when he
decided to take a little break and save some
money.
“I ended up working in retail and it turned
out I really liked it. I found out that it could
be a career too and decided to pursue this
path. I started working at the Warehouse
Stationary in Papanui and loved it. I never
regretted quitting my biochemistry studies.”
Three years into his job Neil wanted to
upskill to take the next step in his career. He
enrolled in the six month, Level 3 Certificate
in Retail at Ara Institute of Canterbury. He
studied part-time, so he could combine his
studies with his job.
“I followed the in-house training at my job,
but was looking for something more. The
Ara Certificate in Retail gave a more general
perspective on retail. My main takeaway was
the leadership development. Being able to
understand emotional awareness and deal
with different behaviours. You learn to cater
to any kind of employee and customer.”
This skill turned out to be very useful as
Neil was promoted to a leadership role as
Assistant Store Manager after finishing his
course.
“An important part of my role is coaching
the team. I’m motivating the team on
the floor and making sure the customers
are being looked after. I love making the
customers happy, we’re there to provide
solutions for them.”
The retail programmes at Ara provide
students with essential industry knowledge
and skills for a strong start to a career in this
sector. The options range from entry level
qualifications to a degree, and part-time
study options make it easy for people like
Neil to upskill.
For those who want to go further in
their studies, options include the Bachelor
of Applied Retail Management, which
offers specialist knowledge and skills in
strategic decision making, communication
strategies, accounting and retail enterprise
management. A 400-hour work placement
helps students develop and practice realworld
skills.
To find out more about studying Retail
at Ara Institute of Canterbury go to:
https://www.ara.ac.nz/study-options/ourstudy-interest-areas/business
SELWYN TIMES
CONTINUING EDUCATION
Ensuring a safe
work place
Learning first aid is not only a
part of ensuring a safe work place, but also
an integral part of our engagement with
the wider community. We all learn the
necessary skills to ensure that in times of
emergency we are able to assist our work
colleagues, but are we able to take these
skills home, into the community or on to
the sports field?
not all work places are the same and
the injury risk for each place can be wide
and variable. The office attended by
administrators does not carry the same
risk as those people working with heavy
machinery, or perhaps at some distance
from a regular ambulance service. it is
therefore essential that you pick the right
first aid course to suit all of your activities –
both professional and social.
take, for example, an office worker who
does not have a high risk work environment
and whose concern might be to ensure that
they can deal with minor cuts and superficial
injuries, or the ability to perform effective
CPr. These skills
Piano
Raewyn Clegg
Registered Teacher of
Piano and Theory of
Music.
29 Lancewood Drive
Halswell
Ph 322-9377
can be achieved on a
course of eight hours
duration and would
generally fit into
low to medium risk
area. But take this
same person on to a
sports field either as
a spectator or player
when a higher level injury occurs. The eight
hour course covering unit standards 6402
and 6401 (or 26551 and 26552) does not
cover head neck and spinal injuries, eye
injuries, hypothermia and poisonings.
The majority of injuries occur outside of
the work place, in fact one in three injuries
occurs in the home, making it the most
common place for injuries to happen.
new Zealand children are twice as likely
to die through injury as children who live
in australia. They mostly die as a result
of motor vehicles accidents or falls in the
home. fatalities from leisure and sport are
not far behind those in the workplace.
The wider 12 hour course teaches the
additional unit standard 6400 and provides
a wide knowledge base for medium to high
risk environments. This course covers many
of the skills required to deal with the most
common injuries, such as falls (which can
result in head, neck and spinal injuries) and
dealing with complex scenes such as motor
vehicle accidents.
if you are not sure on the course best
suited to your needs, ask your accredited
first aid training provider. They can explain
the course content and give you options
that will best suit your needs. Look beyond
the workplace and consider your family and
your location. Check that you have a good
quality first aid kit that is up-to-date with
replenished items, and that everyone knows
where it is located.
Monday
14 November
28 November
12 December
Friday
18 November
9 December
16 December
NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS
GLOBAL LEADERS IN FIRST AID TRAINING
Christchurch Course Dates 2016
Venue: 32 Birmingham Drive, Middleton
First Aid Revalidation Course (6 hours)
Cost $120.00 per person (certificates must not
have expired for more than 3 months)
Time: 8.30am – 3.15pm
Tuesday
22 November
6 December
Sunday
20 November
4 December
18 December
For bookings please call 0800 REDCROSS or 339-7111
Book online at www.redcross.org.nz
Wednesday
23 November
21 December
USE THE RED CROSS ADVANTAGE - COMPREHENSIVE FIRST AID, ESSENTIAL FIRST AID,
REVALIDATION OR TAILORED TRAINING TO SUIT yOU AT yOUR PLACE OR OURS.