Powering Potential: A Blueprint for Building a Robust Retail-to-Corporate Talent Pipeline

Since 2010, the number of employees of color has gradually increased across the retail sector. Certain roles, however, have witnessed greater job growth than others, with people of color accounting for a substantial proportion of service workers and salespeople. Yet, 85% of the retail industry’s executives and senior-level employees were white in 2018. Which poses the question: How can we build a talent pipeline that invests in the unique perspectives and experiences of retail employees?

VF Corporation developed a blueprint that may help answer that question. When investigating ways to increase internal representation within their organization, VF Corporation discovered that its retail workforce is the company’s most diverse employee base. This discovery inspired VF Corporation to craft a store-to-corporate apprenticeship program in which retail personnel can explore their ambition and unleash their potential while establishing a meaningful career with the company. The 12-month program eliminates previous barriers to access and advancement, including educational qualifications, experiential requirements, and geographic obstacles. The company’s innovative apprenticeship program empowers employees, many of whom are people of color and/or members of Gen Z, to apply their easily transferable retail skills to new corporate careers.

VF Corporation’s Retail-to-Corporate Apprenticeship program offers a successful model on how to thoughtfully transition store employees into corporate roles. For other companies keen on exploring the natural talent pipeline provided by retail locations, Open to All and VF Corporation created a blueprint exclusively for Open to All corporate members interested in piloting a similar program. This document outlines key considerations companies should take when planning to establish retail-to-corporate apprenticeship programs of their own. If you’d like to access resources like this, consider Open to All’s corporate sponsorship program. Learn more at https://www.opentoall.com/corporate-membership/.