Customer Experience & Sales
Service, communication, selling, retention and the customer relationship.
Pennsylvania Retail Workforce Expansion Initiative
Major retailers are investing in Pennsylvania. FRASI is building a specialized workforce pathway to help residents develop the skills, credentials, industry knowledge and employer connections needed to participate in that growth.
Public figures reflect Commonwealth-announced economic-development commitments and are not guaranteed FRASI placements.
Why This Matters
Modern retail employment extends far beyond traditional sales-floor positions. Today’s industry connects stores, ecommerce, merchandising, inventory, fulfillment, customer experience, operations, management and corporate functions.
FRASI created this initiative to connect residents, workforce systems and employers around a more complete understanding of the retail economy.
Service, communication, selling, retention and the customer relationship.
Product, assortment, presentation, pricing, product knowledge and conversion.
Receiving, accuracy, replenishment, availability, fulfillment and returns.
Digital merchandising, online customer journeys and cross-channel commerce.
Processes, productivity, teamwork, execution, customer experience and cost control.
Supervision, management, merchandising support, ecommerce, operations and corporate pathways.
The FRASI Workforce Model
The initiative follows participants from first contact through employment and advancement—not simply through graduation.
Trusted referrals from housing, workforce, community and government partners.
Structured occupational education in the business and operations of modern retail.
Industry-recognized credential preparation connected to workplace knowledge.
Employer speakers, career exposure, mock interviews and industry experiences.
Employer recruitment, interviews, job-placement assistance and transition support.
Retention, career mapping, wage progression and promotion-focused development.
Proposed First Step
FRASI proposes beginning with a focused Philadelphia cohort that allows partners to test the model, measure outcomes, strengthen employer participation and improve the pathway before expansion.
Participant Experience
Access & Economic Mobility
Priority recruitment can focus on residents who would benefit from a structured pathway into employment, advancement and greater economic mobility.
Eligibility for specific public workforce funding or supportive services remains subject to the rules of the applicable program.
Partnership Model
FRASI is not proposing a replacement for the existing workforce system. FRASI fills the specialized retail-industry training and employer-connection layer within that system.
Economic-mobility alignment, cross-agency coordination, employer connections and exploration of applicable workforce investment.
Resident recruitment, information sessions, supportive-service coordination and exploration of dedicated PHA workforce cohorts.
Referrals, eligibility determination, employment resources, workforce-system coordination and applicable funding pathways.
Workforce-needs input, career exposure, recruitment, candidate interviews, readiness feedback and advancement pathways.
Employer Value Proposition
FRASI teaches participants not only what they may be asked to do at work, but how their role connects to customer experience, sales, efficiency and business performance.
Initial employer outreach can include Burlington Stores, URBN/Nuuly and other retailers across Philadelphia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. Employer participation remains subject to separate agreements.
Accountability
Proposed pilot outcomes extend beyond graduation so partners can understand whether training translates into employment, retention and advancement.
Help Build Pennsylvania's Retail Workforce
FRASI is seeking conversations with government leaders, workforce organizations, housing agencies, community partners and retail employers interested in helping develop the first Philadelphia Retail Workforce Pipeline Pilot.
The Initiative Promise
We will not train people simply to obtain retail jobs.
We will prepare people to understand the retail industry, create value for employers, recognize career pathways and use employment as a foundation for greater economic mobility.