The Retail Trust and Skillsmart Retail have urged charities to apply for one of ten prestigious training scholarships at Oxford University, worth £2,000 each.

Offered free of charge to independent retailers employing 1,000 people or fewer for the first time, the scholarships offer training in people and money management, marketing, merchandising and retail space.

Run by the British Shops and Stores Association, the management development programme will be held at Keble College from 21 to 27 August, and will provide world-renowned retail leadership training to successful applicants.

Rebecca Sanders, an area manager for Cancer Research UK, who won a scholarship last year, said: “I would recommend this course to any retailer. I left feeling confident and ready to move forward with a clear definition of how to drive the business forward and it was the most memorable and impacting week I have ever had both on a personal and business level.”

Anyone interested in applying should email [email protected], call 0207 462 5060 or visit www.skillsmartretail.com/oxfordsummerschool