Professional Diploma Course Part 1

MODULE 1 – INTRODUCTION TO THE NATURAL PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
This Module is designed to give new members of staff a good start in their role as a sales assistant in a health food store. It will provide a greater understanding of the goods that they are dealing with and give an insight into the health food industry.

• Chapter 1 – Overview of the Natural Products Industry
  Introduces you to the history and ethos of the Health Food Trade and an insight into what makes it unique
• Chapter 2 – Products found within a Health Food Store
  An introduction to the health food market, giving a useful summary of the groups of products that will be sold. New members of staff can take the time to locate the products in store, read the labels and familiarise themselves with them.  Knowing the full range of stock in store means that they are well on the way to being a valuable member of the team.
• Chapter 3 – Effective Selling Part 1
  Introduces the concept of customer service and how a sale is made, making you more aware of the dynamics involved in selling to a customer.
• Chapter 4 – Legal Selling Part 1
  How to sell products without incurring the wrath of lawyers.
• Chapter 5 – Health and Safety Part 1
  Provides an awareness of how health and safety is maintained in stores – both for those who work there as well as your customers.

MODULE 2– EFFECTIVE AND LEGAL SELLING
This module provides an understanding of the principles behind the task of selling, helping you become more competent at this aspect of working with and selling specialist health products.

It is also necessary, even from early days of working in a health food store, to be aware of the requirements of legal selling. There are laws that dictate how certain products are sold and an agreed ‘protocol’ should be used when advising customers on the many remedies that will be available in store.  This module will provide you with an understanding of these laws and how they apply to your daily work, as well as how these affect the way you recommend products to customers.

MODULE 3 – PRODUCT AWARENESS AND QUALITY ISSUES
This area has been a focus for the health food sector since its inception and today with an increase in intensive factory farming, processing, packaging and storage methods, the very nature of the food we think we are purchasing is being changed. An awareness of the production and processing methods and their impact stands you in good stead when fielding questions on that subject from anxious customers. Receiving and dealing carefully with stock is a major part of any retail business. How you handle the continual flow of stock and its packaging will have a major impact on the standard of housekeeping in your store. The correct storage conditions for food items are also very important. Handling and dealing with customer complaints will be examined and you will learn skills to turn a complaint to your advantage.

MODULE 4 – HEALTH AND SAFETY
A guide to the mandatory requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH regulations relevant to work in a retail health store. Health and Safety has an impact on almost all areas of work that involve a physical action. These include food safety, personal safety, that of colleagues and, of course, that of customers.

MODULE 5 – BODY SYSTEMS
This module will provide a basic understanding of human body systems and how the body works. A majority of enquiries in a health food store are concerned with addressing solutions to human conditions and, more importantly, maintaining the healthy function of body systems.

CANDIDATES SUBMIT AN ASSESSMENT TEST FOR EACH OF THE PART ONE MODULES AND THEN COMPLETE THE DIPLOMA PART ONE FINAL ASSESSMENT