Further from journeyman certificate — further education in retail
From skilled to business economist academy education and professional bachelor — how you build on top
A journeyman's certificate is not a final station — it is a strong platform to build on. The retail industry rewards those who want more and there are many paths to take whether you want to specialise become a leader or study further. Here is an overview of what you can add on your education.
§Short courses and upskilling
The easiest first step is short courses you take alongside your job — for example in sales customer service cash register systems e-commerce or leading a small team. They keep your skills sharp and can be the way to get new tasks or a small step up the ladder without leaving your job.
§Academy education alongside the job
If you want more theory while you work, you can take a part-time academy education. Within trade and service there are directions about, among other things, retail and management, sales and marketing and service and experiences. It is an obvious path for you who want to move forward but do not want to quit your job to study full-time.
§Business academy education.
On a business academy, you can take a shorter higher education typically lasting two years full-time. Several of them are close to retail — such as business economist, marketing economist, and directions within e-commerce and digital marketing or service and experience economics. They give you a broader commercial base and qualify you for positions such as procurement, sales management, and operations.
§Professional bachelor
If you want to go further, you can read a professional bachelor — either directly or as an extension to a relevant professional academy education. Within the trade field there are for example directions about e-commerce and digital marketing. It is the longer path but it opens up more specialized and often better paid jobs.
| Level | Examples | Typical shape |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | Sales, service, e-commerce, management | Short, alongside your job |
| Academy education | Retail, sales/marketing, service | Part-time, alongside work |
| Business academy. | Trade economist, marketing economist | Approx. 2 years, full-time |
| Professional bachelor | E-commerce and digital marketing. | PLACEHOLDER_34 |
§The way towards leadership
Many skilled retail workers build a career from within: from apprentice to skilled worker, on to sous chef and store manager, and maybe to district manager or a role in the chain's head office in procurement, concept or e-commerce. The Retail Manager specialty is precisely aimed at those who want to work with store operations and management — and combined with further training, there is no ceiling on how far you can go.
§Make a plan
You don't need to know the whole thing now. But it helps to know that the paths exist. Talk to your manager about what the company can support, and use a study counsellor to find the specific education that suits your goals. The most important step is knowing that the journeyman certificate is only the beginning.