Paying workers to learn? Yes! Great idea!

Now here's a twist - and a good one at that.  Okanagan College (British Columbia) is offering free training for retail and food service workers. Upon successful completion the learners get paid $500.

The curriculum includes: exceeding customer expectations; powerful sales systems; productivity and efficiency; product knowledge; effective communication; problem solving; accountability and ownership; and workplace health and safety.

The retail employees will have their own "track" as will the food service workers.  There are four days of training (9a - 4p) as well as six hours of self study.

Learners must be presently employed in the industry and have no college degree.

What a win-win-win - the employers get free training provided to their employees (and lots of it! How many organizations give 24 hours of training to retail or food service workers?); the employees get enhanced business knowledge and skills that can be put to use immediately as well as being an important addition to their resume; and the local region has a pool of well-trained individuals which can only help the local economy as a whole.