PURPOSE AND RATIONALE OF THE QUALIFICATION Purpose: The National Certificate: Wholesale and Retail Operations, addresses skills and competencies for enabling entry-level employment and positions. The qualifying learner will to access opportunities for further development and training in the specialised areas of Wholesale and Retail such as: Operations. Administration. Merchandising. Stock control. Customer service. Visual display merchandising. Help desk operations. After successful completion of this qualifications learners will be able to: Understand the sector in which they work. Provide customers with a high level of service. Operate effectively and efficiently in their area of specialisation. This qualification has been developed to allow people within the industry to advance in an area of specialisation or to move into other areas of specialisation in the sector. Rationale: The Wholesale and Retail environment buys and sells a wide range of products and stock form manufacturers to the end user / consumer. Throughout this process a number of people perform a variety of functions. These functions can vary according to the size and type of organisation. Each of these functions may in its own right lead to a whole career in the industry. These functions include: Help Desk operating. Sales staff. Merchandising. Warehousing. Wholesaling. Buying/purchasing. Administration. Credit management. Management. Industry is characterised by a wide variety of organisations from very small wholesale and retail operators to major national and international chain corporations. These include: Spaza/house shops. Independent stores. Chain stores. Small and Large wholesalers. Franchisers. Distribution Centres. Tele-marketing organisations. External contractors. The industry is labour intensive and service driven. The sector requires specific skills and abilities in order to remain profitable thereby increasing growth and job opportunities. This qualification is aimed at individuals entering the sector for the first time, informal / business owners as well as individuals working in entry level occupations in the sector. This qualification is designed to provide the skills and abilities for people working in or looking for a career-path in Wholesale and Retailing: SME retailing. Help Desks. Chain stores. Merchandising. Wholesaling.