Canadian Retailer - Store 2016 - 5

GUEST COLUMN

CONNECTING STUDENTS TO
THE RETAIL INDUSTRY
Engagement and experience keys to
incentivizing tomorrow's industry talent
BY KYLE B. MURR AY

WHEN you think of learning at a university,
you likely picture a professor at the front of a
classroom facing rows of students who are
struggling to stay awake. Of course, that is not
always-or even usually-the case. But the caricature is not entirely without merit. We have all
taken classes that failed to engage us and been
presented with theories we could not connect to
the real world. When it comes to success in retailing, which depends so heavily on the details
of day-to-day operations, that style of learning
may appear to be of little value.

In part, these changes are driven by advances in technology
that allow schools to teach in new ways. There is also a growing demand from employers looking for graduates with general
knowledge that is complemented by industry-specific skills. The
students, however, are the most vocal proponents of a learning
experience that is more than lectures on textbook material. Beyond traditional methods of learning, they want to interact with
the retail community and have an opportunity to apply their
skills to current problems in a real-world setting. Professors are
increasingly expected to have a deep knowledge of theory and
a strong relationship with the business community. Business
schools want this, too. We need your help.
To interest our students in careers in retail, we invite
you to engage with them before you recruit them-work
with student clubs, speak in classes and at conferences,
judge case competitions, offer internships and co-op
placements, hire our student consultants and provide
financial support for our programs. Your competition
isn't other retailers; it's other career paths. Business graduates
have many choices that range from consulting firms and consumer
packaged goods companies to advertising agencies and high-tech
start-ups. Yet, many students would prefer to work in retail. They
just haven't met enough retailers or had enough experience beyond
a part-time job to feel confident that the industry has a competitive
offer for business graduates. Working together we can open the
door for them to engaging and rewarding retail careers.

[Business graduates have many choices]
Your competition isn't other retailers, it's
other career paths.
At the same time, a post-secondary education
is meant to be more than an apprenticeship. It is
expected that a university student who focuses
on retailing will graduate knowing something
about store design, social media, category management, sales analytics, data modeling and
so on. Business schools around the world are
rethinking how they can ensure that students
have the knowledge that employers expect
from a university graduate as well as the requisite real world experience.
www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

Kyle Murray is a Professor of Marketing and the Director of the
School of Retailing at the University of Alberta.

STORE 2016 | CANADIAN RETAILER

| 5

http://www.retailcouncil.org/cdnretailer

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