Planning delivery of the unit

The objective of this course activity is to identify opportunities to work with local retailers to support delivery of The potential of technology unit using the John Lewis learning resource as a model.

The retail lifecycle learning resource demonstrates to learners how technology can change both large and small retail outlets.

• Identify local retailers who could support delivery of The potential of technology through either offering work experience, making use of the Back to School work experience guides for The potential of technology, or by talking to learners about how technology has changed, or could change their business. Retailers may be happy for learners to visit, or they may be willing to come into school or college to talk to a group of learners.
• Generate a brief for a retailer that advises them on what learners need to know for this unit, which might include how a business can improve through implementation of a new system or an upgrade of an existing system. The John Lewis resource considers what happens when technology fails or is problematic, so the retailer may share anecdotes and experiences of technological problems, or ‘what if’ scenarios that illustrate how important back up and recovery systems are. Retailers who have recently implemented new systems, such as text messaging clients to remind them of appointments, may want to share before and after experiences.
• Map the brief to the learning objectives for The potential of technology unit to show retailers who are engaging with you how they are contributing to delivery of the diploma. Use this to work with local retailers to support your learners in this unit. Work experience placements may also be generated as a result of this contact.