Retail Ready and Rising: Paige’s ServiceIQ Success Story

We’re incredibly proud to celebrate one of our volunteers, Paige, who has recently completed the Retail Savvy Award through ServiceIQ.

This award provides a strong foundation in essential retail skills and is designed to be completed on the job, making it a practical way to gain valuable experience while volunteering. The programme focuses on developing key skills that are vital in any retail environment, helping participants to become confident and effective team members.

What is the Retail Savvy Award?

The Retail Savvy Award is an entry-level qualification tailored to those starting out in the retail industry. It covers the essentials of excellent customer service and basic retail operations. Delivered flexibly, either in print or online and at a pace that fits around everyday commitments, it’s an accessible way for volunteers like Paige to gain nationally recognised NZQA certification.

The course covers important skills such as:

• Interacting effectively with customers to provide outstanding service

• Using product knowledge to help customers make informed choices

• Managing stock and understanding store procedures

• Practicing health and safety standards within a retail environment

• Collaborating and working well with fellow team members.

  
  

Paige’s Journey and Commitment

Throughout the approximately five-month programme, Paige balanced her training alongside her regular volunteer shifts at our Hutt Dressed store and Hutt Hub. This practical learning approach allowed her to immediately apply new skills in a real-world setting, deepening her understanding and boosting her confidence.

Paige’s dedication to the Retail Savvy Award has been exceptional. She embraced the challenges and opportunities the programme offered and consistently demonstrated a commitment to improving her retail knowledge and customer service skills. In recognition of

her hard work and achievement, the team at ServiceIQ kindly gifted Paige a pair of noise-canceling earphones to support her ongoing learning and personal development.

Why This Matters

Recognising and formalising the skills volunteers gain through their valuable contributions benefits everyone. For volunteers like Paige, it means gaining a nationally recognised qualification that can open doors to future employment or further education. For our organisation, it ensures we have confident, skilled team members who can deliver excellent service and enhance the overall customer experience.

Paige’s success is inspiring and a wonderful example of how combining volunteering with structured learning can create meaningful growth. We look forward to supporting more volunteers as they follow in her footsteps.

Celebrating Success

We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Paige on this achievement. Her hard work and positive attitude have made a real difference, and we couldn’t be prouder. Paige, you’re an inspiration to us all—thank you for your commitment and passion!