The attitude may be laid back at Sitka Surf and Skate Shop, but when it comes to good customer service, training is nothing less than essential, says manager Laurens Besier. "It's a no-brainer. You can't help out a customer without good skills," he says.

That's why he jumped on board when presented with the opportunity to participate at no cost in SkillsPlus. The project aims to address employees' Essential Skills in nine areas including reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, problem solving, working with others, thinking skills, computer use and continuous learning.

Besier says his staff is keen to get started with the training, which will be delivered by the Victoria READ Society's workplace educator Helen Thomas right in the store during staff's regular shifts.

"Nothing but good can come of it," says Sitka employee Tyler Mcleod. He's worked in retail for four years, and says this is the first opportunity he has had to receive skill-specific training. "It's a great opportunity and I love that we do the training right here."

Thomas, who has been an adult educator for more than 20 years, will focus on improving Sitka's customer service skills by specifically training the Essential Skills of oral communication, working with others, thinking skills and continuous learning. She started by conducting in-depth interviews with management and employees to determine the business's training needs.

"We can provide customized, flexible training that looks at ways to address specific skills that will make a difference in the business's day-to-day operations," Thomas says.

The organizational needs assessment determined that the 10 to 15 young staff members need the ability to understand and communicate about a diverse range of products – from the large variety of styles in skate and surf boards to the company's clothing line. And when staff isn't helping customers, Besier says they need to be able to tackle the job list and prioritize cleaning and maintenance duties to keep the shop tidy. "We are always looking for ways to improve our business and we are excited to see how training helps us out." he says.

Local and international research shows that addressing Essential Skills in the workforce helps both businesses and employees. Training helps manage change, retain promising employees, and improve productivity and safety.

SkillsPlus training is offered by the Victoria READ Society and the Community Council, with funding through the Canada-British Columbia Labour Market Agreement for small business in the Capital Region with less than 50 employees. Currently seven businesses in the retail/wholesale/grocery and tourism/hospitality sectors have signed up and others are on a waitlist.

Employers can find more workplace learning tips, tools and resources on READ's website at www.readsociety.bc.ca/workplace.htm and through the Community Council, http://www.qolchallenge.ca/resources/skillsplus.php.