PepsiCo Sales District Leader, Alex Branch (pictured on left), was awarded the Retail Management Certificate October 25th at a special ceremony in Everett, Washington. Branch, who completed his coursework at Clover Park Technical College, is the first PepsiCo associate to earn the certificate. He is pictured with Ryan Reygers, the Retail Management Program Director at Clover Park.
(LAKEWOOD, CALIF.) — The Western Association of Food Chains’ most widely-available educational program, the community college Retail Management Certificate, has experienced a “boon year” of graduates! With 700 students completing coursework between Fall 2018 and Spring 2019, the program now boasts 2,700 certificate recipients!
As the food industry evolves with changes in products, processes, technology and competition, the program provides relevant real-life learning to develop future leaders. Collectively, food industry workers across the U.S. complete nearly 10,000 courses a year as they aspire to earn the credential.
Introduced in partnership with 150 community colleges, the Retail Management Certificate is an accredited community college program designed to provide our workforce with the critical skills and knowledge needed to attain management roles in the grocery industry. The first graduates completed the program in 2002. Today, the eight-course curriculum is available at community colleges throughout the nation and 100% online.
For more information on the Retail Management Certificate and how to participate, go to www.RetailManagementCertificate.com. To learn more about the WAFC, go to www.wafc.com
Gelson’s Markets celebrated first class of Retail Management Graduates at a Congratulatory Luncheon. Twenty-two graduates were honored by company leaders, college professors and the WAFC.
Departing from tradition, Ralphs Grocery Stores honored their “Class of 2016” Retail Management Graduates on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 with the company’s first WAFC Graduate Luncheon. In the past, Ralphs had thrown elaborate awards dinners, but based on student interest, the company’s Talent Management Team hosted an event which combined a luncheon with networking and higher education break-out sessions. The 48 graduates were given the opportunity to network with district staff and company vice presidents who would have a direct effect on their next promotion. Additionally, they were able to discuss and plan their next educational goals.
The Retail Management Certificate was recently featured in a blog post on the Food Marketing Institute website as a program that supports career growth and aligns with the growing need for education beyond High School. Some key takeaways from the story:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor:
Read the full story on FMI’s website.
Brookshire Grocery Company (Brookshire’s) received the Local Employer of Excellence Award for the Workforce Solutions East Texas area in November 2014. The Local Employer of Excellence Award honors private-sector employers that are actively involved with their local workforce board and have made a positive impact on employers, workers and the community.
Brookshire’s has been part of the East Texas community since 1928. In 2012, Brookshire’s partnered with Tyler Junior College and the WAFC to develop a Retail Management Certificate program with the potential to positively impact hundreds of regional employers.
The program offers face-to-face, online, and hybrid classes to prepare students for career opportunities and upward mobility in the retail industry.
To better understand changes in the grocery industry, the Food Marketing Institute and the Hartman Group have joined together to survey and evaluate 5 key trends.
Access the full report online.
What started with Tyler Junior College and Brookshire Grocery Company working together to ensure employees in the region had the skills for success in retail management, has expanded to include other leading food retailers such as Albertsons, Costco, Kroger, Safeway, Tom Thumbs, Randalls, and United Supermarkets.
Currently, the Retail Management Certificate is available both on campus and 100% online through Tyler Junior College with 2 additional community colleges offering the program in early 2015.
If you are a company or community college we invite you to attend our next advisory meeting. Please RSVP to wafc.consortium@gmail.com.
Friday, October 3, 2014
12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Tarrant County College Opportunity Center
5901 Fitzhugh Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76119
Join us in congratulating John Ciraulo for his recent promotion to Vice President, Meat Division of Stater Bros. Markets. John has been with Stater Bros. for over 28 years and has progressed through a range of both retail and marketing positions. In his new position, Ciraulo will oversee the marketing and retail operations of the company’s meat and seafood divisions.
He is a 2006 graduate of both the WAFC Retail Management Program at San Bernardino Valley College and University of Southern California (USC) Food Industry Management Program. After completing his Retail Management Certificate, John earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from University of Phoenix and a Master of Arts Degree in Business Management from University of Redlands.
Congratulations John!
Hear what our friends at Smith’s and Kroger think about the Retail Management Certificate.
