Applied Retail and Business Skills

Local stores have joined forces with Lewis & Clark Career center in an effort to train the special needs population for careers in the grocery and retail industry. A key to the success of this program is the close partnerships between the stores and our school. This effort is helping Lewis & Clark Career Center meet our goal of providing hardworking, loyal and dependable employees and helping the stores meet their goal of developing and increasing their permanent work force.

Course Description
This course is designed for juniors and seniors with special needs who have an interest in the supermarket or retail industry.

This is an active, hands-on, multimedia approach that emphasizes instructional strategies that are successful with special needs populations. The program has three phases: classroom instruction, community-based transition, and internship experience.

The classroom instruction includes lessons on self-awareness, social skills, communication skills, and employability skills. The training areas covered in both classroom and on-site experience include safety, customer service, money skills, produce, grocery, dairy, frozen foods, deli, bakery, and other retail skills.

Skills learned in the classroom are reinforced through the community-based transition phase of the program. During this time, the student job shadows at participating stores. A four-week internship concludes the program and provides students with a chance for continued employment.

A desire and potential for competitive employment are necessary for success in this program. The curriculum includes training in the following areas:

1. Self-esteem
2. Communication skills/phone skills
3. Human relations/social skills
4. Safety
5. Retail skills
6. Customer service
7. Job shadowing
8. Internship
9. Interviewing skills
10.Resume building

Partnerships Make a Difference
The partnership between the grocery/retail industry and Lewis & Clark Career Center offer returns for both industry and education. It provides an invaluable opportunity to a traditionally underutilized segment of society. The cooperative effort requires commitment, support, and a strong belief in the outcomes and purposes.
The Missouri Incentives Grant Program, through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, provided primary funds for Supermarket Career Programs in Missouri. Schnucks Markets, Inc. has generously donated as well.

Participating stores in St. Charles County have been:

Schnucks
Dierbergs
Shop ‘n Save
Wal-mart