It\u2019s not because they ran out of options. It\u2019s because many are figuring out something early: degrees open doors, but don\u2019t always prepare you for the moment when a customer is standing in front of you \u2014 impatient, uncertain, comparing brands, and expecting answers in seconds.<\/p>\n
This shift is becoming visible in Samsung\u2019s DOST Sales Programme, which has steadily grown into a structured route for young professionals to learn the business from the ground up. The 2026 cohort reflects that change clearly \u2014 with participants coming from diverse academic backgrounds, including graduates with international education, choosing hands-on retail experience as a foundation for long-term careers.<\/p>\n
So, what exactly is DOST? Put simply, it is a structured retail skilling programme that trains youth for organised sales roles through a mix of classroom learning and on-ground store exposure. Participants learn customer handling, product understanding, communication, and the basics of retail operations \u2014 skills that often decide whether a fresher stays stuck at entry-level or grows.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s retail market today is no longer about simply \u201cselling\u201d. It\u2019s about solving. Customers arrive with online reviews, price comparisons, and strong opinions. And the shopfloor executive isn\u2019t just a salesperson anymore \u2014 they are a guide, problem-solver, and trust-builder in a fast-moving consumer environment.<\/p>\n
For Quazi Faizan Afroz Akhlaque Uz Zama (27), an MBA graduate from Amravati University currently training in Amravati, the programme has been less about theory and more about learning real-time decision-making.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough training and hands-on exposure, I learned how to communicate with customers, manage situations, and make informed decisions in real time,\u201d he said. \u201cUnderstanding customer behaviour and product differentiation has helped me approach conversations with clarity and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the headline moments in this year\u2019s cohort come from those with global exposure. Take Rashneet Kaur Chhabra (26) \u2014 a graduate of University College London (UCL) with a Master\u2019s degree in Architecture focused on Bio-Integrated Design \u2014 now training in Pune.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a conventional move. But she says it\u2019s a necessary one.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe diversity of the programme \u2014 across age, background, and experience \u2014 helped me understand business from a very human perspective,\u201d she said. \u201cIn India, retail is deeply rooted in relationships and cultural understanding. Building trust and personal connection with customers is central, and that\u2019s a lesson I will carry into global markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her experience captures what many young professionals are discovering: real confidence is built on the shopfloor \u2014 not in a classroom. It comes from conversations you can\u2019t script, objections you can\u2019t predict, and pressure situations you can\u2019t pause.<\/p>\n
The international footprint of the cohort also includes participants like Tushar, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from the University of Technology, Sydney, underlining a growing view among youth \u2014 that frontline experience can be a serious career accelerator, not a temporary stop.<\/p>\n
Beyond individual journeys, programmes like DOST Sales reflect a broader shift in what employability now means in India. While companies across sectors often speak about \u201cfuture-ready talent\u201d, the challenge is real: many graduates are qualified but not fully prepared for high-pressure customer environments, performance-driven roles, and rapid on-the-spot problem-solving.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where structured retail skilling programmes can have a larger social impact \u2014 turning education into experience, and experience into opportunity. For many young Indians, especially first-generation professionals, the shopfloor is not just a workplace \u2014 it is where confidence is built, careers take shape, and ambition becomes practical.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWith its industry-first, five-month training framework, Samsung DOST is addressing a critical need for job-ready talent in the retail ecosystem. The sharp rise in enrolments this year, including candidates with global education exposure, reflects the growing relevance of the programme. At a time when digital transformation is reshaping retail, DOST is helping build a skilled workforce equipped for the future,\u201d said Shubham Mukherjee, Head, CSR & Corporate Communications, Samsung Southwest Asia.<\/p>\n
As India\u2019s organised retail economy expands, the demand for professionals who can combine product knowledge with customer trust-building is only rising. And for an increasing number of globally-educated young Indians, starting at the ground level is no longer seen as \u201csmall\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s seen as smart. Because in today\u2019s economy, the fastest way to learn isn\u2019t always through a job title.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, it begins by proving yourself \u2014 one customer at a time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s not because they ran out of options. It\u2019s because many are figuring out something early: degrees open doors, but don\u2019t always prepare you for the moment when a customer is standing in front of you \u2014 impatient, uncertain, comparing brands, and expecting answers in seconds. This shift is becoming visible in Samsung\u2019s DOST Sales […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","category-pune"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23800"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23801,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23800\/revisions\/23801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesofpowerandvoice.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}