Industry majors are joining hands with educational institutes to churn out “industry-ready” manpower to meet the increasing demand of skilled hands in the retail sector.

First, Pantaloons Retail India Limited had tied up with Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM). Then, Retail Association of India (RAI) had joined hands with NSHM Knowledge Campus. Now, Bharti Enterprises has decided to tie up with International Institute of Advanced Studies (IIAS).

“India’s retail sector is moving into the next stage of evolution. And there has been a surge in the demand for trained manpower,” said Krishnendu Sarkar, head of learning systems, NSHM.

According to industry figures, modern retail in India could be worth $175-200 billion by 2016, with an expected annual growth of 25 per cent. “There is a huge demand for manpower. I alone will require around 13,000 people in the eastern region in the next year,” said Sandeep Marwaha, head of operations (east), Pantaloon Retail.

As only three per cent of the industry is organised, the institutes feel a lot of managerial hands are needed to bring the whole industry under the purview of the organised sector.

The postgraduate diploma course offered at IISWBM focuses on mall management, store design and legal issues relating to retail. “General management courses offered by the institutes need to be modified to suit the specific needs of the retail sector,” observed Marwaha.

Students’ outlook towards retail jobs is also undergoing a change. “People don’t say I work in a shop. They say we work at Levi’s. It is a great achievement to work for a brand store,” said Vijay Dugar, franchisee owner of Reebok and Levi’s.

Attractive discounts at the stores, branded uniforms, scope of regular promotions and attractive pay packages have added to the retail appeal. “The pay is attractive and there are more scopes for promotion. Floor-level salary can start from Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per annum. For managers, it can go up to Rs 9 lakh,” said Marwaha.