Local hardware supplier and manufacturer R.C. Manubhai & Co. Pte Ltd (RCM) has partnered with the Oceania Institute of Technology (OIT) to address national skill shortages through a retail excellence training program.
At the signing of their partnership yesterday, R.C. Manubhai Group of Companies chief executive officer Uppiliappan Gopalan said the short courses would enhance staff knowledge, which they would apply in the workplace, ensuring good return on investment for stakeholders.
He said this would be the company’s first external training.
“We have been doing (training) internally, but this is the first time we thought to have it externally,” Mr Gopalan said.
“Giving the in-house perspective is something different but making them understand the global perspective and also benchmarking best practices that are there in the other retail businesses within Fiji, that gives a framework for them to amplify their business model and the returns are rapid,” he said. The training consists of 20 selected staff members undergoing specialised micro-courses. However, the company had planned to rapidly scale up the program to cover all shop floor personnel.
Meanwhile, OIT managing director Hasmukh Lal said the training would focus heavily on elevating customer experience to build long-term brand loyalty. “So, this training in retail excellence is purely to create that customer experience and improve it so customers continue to come back to RCM instead of any other company,” he said
The retail industry, he said, had significantly contributed towards Fiji’s GDP and is a sector which has become a default in terms of talent.
Oceania Institute of Technology managing director Hasmukh Lal (seventh from left) and R.C. Manubhai CEO Uppilipian Gopalan with the staff of R.C. Manubhai during the signing of the partnership agreement in Suva yesterday. Inset – Hasmukh Lal, left, and Uppilipian Gopalan after the signing of the partnership agreement in Suva, yesterday. Pictures: KARISHMA KUMARI
