If you have teenage children who are desperate to leave school and academic life behind but are undecided about what they want to do in life, then a career in retail might suit them. There is much more to retail than just selling items off the shop floor and placing money in a till and many youngsters just don’t realise this.

Many retailers offer apprenticeships to young people leaving school. If a youngster is keen to work hard and eager to learn, takes pride in their work, has good communication skills, is happy to be part of a team, can show initiative and has a generally positive attitude, then these are the sort of qualities which employers are looking for.

It is more than possible to work one’s way up in retail, from starting on the shop floor with a handful of basic school leavers’ GCSE grades. Employers look out for employees with a good aptitude to the job and it is possible to move onto other kinds of jobs within retail which may be office based or accounts related, or which may involve working in HR, managing people or tackling logistics. Some jobs may require further qualifications or experience – for instance, fashion buying or brand marketing – but, by then, a young person may feel ready to tackle a university or professional style course in order to obtain the post that they really want.