Vicky Trehorel, who started the job in October, began her career with a Saturday job in retail – an experience she says is invaluable for helping young people’s development in the world of work.
As well as inspiring young Islanders themselves to take an interest in the sectors – which are currently facing a recruitment crisis – she also believes that celebrating the achievements of staff will show parents that a career in the industries can be something to be proud of.
‘We need to start again and instil in the younger generations just how essential that Saturday job is, how important that stepping stone is,’ she said. ‘People don’t really see retail as a career but once they are in it they see it differently. For me I certainly did. I got a Saturday job because I wanted independence but while doing that I learnt so much – how to work with a team, how to deal with difficult situations, and these skills have now led me to where I am today.’
She added: ‘I think we need to get that out to the younger generation and also to parents. I think parents feel the pressure to have their children performing well, they want their children to be the best they possibly can be and sometimes retail and hospitality isn’t always seen as the way to achieve. But actually giving them a really hard eight-hour shift on their feet is going to teach them quite a bit.’
Miss Trehorel, who is the subject of today’s Saturday Interview, also teaches the retail knowledge course at Highlands College and says she regularly sees staff in retail achieving great things.
‘We really need to be screaming and shouting about how awesome the staff are,’ she said.
‘People aspire to the positives and actually we are not always that good at showing off the achievements of staff within retail and hospitality. I would love to get back to where it was something to be proud of.’
She added that careers in both industries were tough, with long hours and often demanding situations to deal with. Pay could also be an issue, she said, but it was a complex situation in which employers had to balance many financial pressures. However, she said: ‘There are some really good employers out there.’
She also praised the work being done by the Jersey Hospitality and Jersey Retail associations to encourage locals to consider jobs in the sectors and added: ‘As an Island we need to start looking after our staff, giving them further opportunities for development and being proud of what they are achieving. It is about being able to say we are struggling to recruit new staff but the staff we have got are really amazing.’
