Customer Service Skills:
Having great customer service skills boosts your employment opportunities, no matter what
sector you work in. In a competitive marketplace, businesses need to ensure their customers
are valued and supported in every interaction.
The City & Guilds Customer Service Skills programme prepares you for interacting with
customers and the public face-to-face, on the telephone, or via email. Our programme is a
blend of certified training and work placement where you can gain new skills that are
in-demand by employers, while also accessing employment advice and support from a team
of professionals with a proven track record and a strong employer network.
Past participants found employment across various industries in roles such as Customer
Service Representative, Contact Centre Representative, Sales Support, Retail Sales, Front
Office / Reception.
This programme is broken down into four phases:
INDUCTION:
Specialist coaches will work with each group to address a range of barriers to employment;
introduce you to the expectations of customer service job roles, and how to get the most out
of your training and work placement components to provide the best opportunity to
transition into sustainable employment.
INDUCTION
(3 weeks)
SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY TRAINING
(10 weeks)
STRUCTURED WORK PLACEMENT
(10-14 weeks*)
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT
(6 months)
1 2 3 4
Customer Service Skills SKILLS AND EMPLOYABILITY
TRAINING:
Covers everything you need to know to excel
in a customer service role:
• Customer service principles
• Communication skills
• Sales techniques
• Retail sales
• Contact centre / shared services
• Reception / front office
• Working in a team environment
• Business principles
Qualifications include:
• City & Guilds Level 4 (NFQ) Certificate in
Customer Service
• City & Guilds Level 4 (NFQ) Award in
Principles of Selling
• City & Guilds Level 4 (NFQ) Certificate in
Retail Knowledge
Assessments are a combination of classroom
based tasks, short reports and multiple choice
tests. Our employability trainer will also work
with you on CV, interview skills, transition to
work placement and job readiness.
WORK PLACEMENT:
By the end of the induction and training phase
you will be equipped with a toolbox of
strategies and resources for work placement
and employment.
Work placements are either 10 or 14 weeks*
and are organised by a City & Guilds
Employment Officer who works closely with
you to identify suitable work placement
opportunities and agree a structured
placement with a host employer for you to
gain relevant on-the-job experience. The
Employment Officer will conduct two on-site
visits with you during your work placement.
* Youth (under 25 years) undertake 14 weeks of
work placement
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS:
Following on from the training and work
placement phases, participants have access
to monthly Job Clubs focused on job search,
networking, and employment opportunities.
You will also have access to City & Guilds’
online supports and resources.
is this progrmme for me?
• I’m interested in working in a customer
service or sales environment
• I enjoy communicating with others and
solving problems
• I have strong written and spoken
communication skills
• I would like to gain new transferable skills
• I am comfortable completing classroom
based tasks, writing short reports and
sitting multiple choice tests
• I’m interested in completing a period of
work placement to gain experience
Customer Service Skills