John Lewis - Horizons

John Lewis aims to be the leading multi-channel retailer in the UK and the most trusted retailer on the High Street, where customers love to shop and Partners love to work. In this competitive market place the company needed to create a development offer that allowed Partners to achieve their potential and support the strategic goals.

In 2007 John Lewis designed a unique modular programme, encouraging Partners to take ownership of their learning, targeting development areas specific to their needs, linking directly to objectives set at their development reviews. Horizons resources are directly linked and driven by current and future strategy.

The Horizons programme builds excellence and flexibility through developing: skills, knowledge and behaviours and is broken down into:

1.   Induction programme - For new and existing branches

2.   Selling Academy – Three levels of resources and accreditation of varying depth and complexity allowing Partners’ to build selling skills and product knowledge at their own pace. Resources are designed to build flexibility, helping Partners deliver great service.

3.   Leadership Programme – Structured around four behavioural traits forming an integrated performance and development programme, with resources that support development and career progression.

4.   Career and Performance Development - Providing resources and information enabling Partners to explore their career and pursue opportunities in their current or different role.

John Lewis has designed and implemented the sector’s pre-employment Retail Works and Hospitality programmes that supports the re-employment of the long term unemployed. Jobcentre Plus put candidates who have been out of work for more than six months through the ‘Retail Works’ programme, (a two-week pre-employment training course designed by John Lewis and other retailers through the skills body, Skillsmart Retail). Candidates who complete training satisfactorily are then assessed and given interviews. In John Lewis’ first trial of the scheme, at its Leicester store opening in May 2008, 68 of these candidates secured jobs and the success rate for those interviewed was just over 50 per cent, which is similar to those in the general candidate pool. The candidates who got jobs proved highly loyal with a 90% retention rate, which is a convincing business case in itself as the UK retention rate for these candidates is less than 50%.