Newsagents with years of success are being told they must undertake an accredited retail training course if they purchase or open another newsagency. The course must either be a Certificate 4 in Retail or the Australian Newsagents Federation industry specific week long course. The requirement for conpetency training is established by suppliers who decide if a newsagent is to receive supply dirct from them.
When the training requirements were established in 2004, the suppliers (News, Fairfax, ACP Magazines and Gordon and Gotch) agreed with the ANF Board that existing newsagents of good standing would not be required to undertake the training. There has been no explanation to newsagents when and why this changed.
I’ve owned my newsagency at Forest Hill in Victoria since February 1996. By any measure it’s a success. To force me to undertake training if I buy another newsagency would stop me further investing in the channel. Respect must be shown by suppliers to successful newsagents of good standing. Requiring such training will encourage us to not invest again in the channel.
Many other industries have instituted new training requirements for operators in those fields. However, for people who had been in the industry sufficient time, grandfather clauses allowed them to bypass the new regime. ANF and the magazine companies should follow the lead of other industries and let operators with say 10 years experience in the industry be exempt from the new rules.
It would be interesting to see who will be providing the training to the newcomers to the industry – will they be successful operators or teachers who are given a handbook and syllabus from the ANF?
In my opinion it is all a scam to get more money. Training in
what ? How to purchase and sell ?
I know a fellow newsagent who sold his newsagency and took a 2 years break. He then decided to come back to this industry and was forced to undertake a week training.
Do you know they charge in excess of $1000 for the training conducted by ANF?