Common Skills for Employability and Pathways to Advancement

Competency Mapping Resources for Retail & Adjacent Industries

The skills and abilities critical to success in retail work—skills like customer service, teamwork, service recovery, and problem-solving - are in demand from employers not just in retail, but many other industries.

CAEL created these resources that capture and expand upon existing research on skills developed through front-line retail worker. They can be used to communicate the value and inform the creation of competency-based workforce activities in retail.

Workers in the retail industry develop valuable skills necessary for advancement through career pathways in retail and adjacent industries. Understanding why these employability skills matter and how on-the-job learning occurs is a critical component of any retail workforce strategy. The below resources illustrate the competencies developed within retail jobs and how they may transfer to advancement opportunities. These resources can be used to demonstrate to employers the value of skill-building that occurs in retail, inform training development, support effective advising on career pathways within retail and to adjacent industries, and furthermore, help workers understand skills and competencies they develop in various retail occupations.