Diageo Learning for Life returns to support the on-trade


Diageo Learning for Life

Diageo Learning for Life has been relaunched to support the UK hospitality sector and its hard-pressed staff, offering Covid safety training and life skills.

The £1m-per-year programme, which has traditionally been focused on offering opportunities to young unemployed people in the UK to get into hospitality careers, has been repurposed as a virtual training programme to give businesses the skills and training support they need to meet the demands of dealing with Covid-19.

Running alongside ‘Learning for Life’ is Diageo’s Raising the Bar programme, which is already pumping £30 million into the UK hospitality trade in the form of support with the infrastructure to operate safely.

The Diageo Learning for Life: Hospitality Elevator virtual programme, delivered by Diageo’s training partner Springboard, has been designed to provide specialist support to businesses, helping them to develop and engage their teams, including those on furlough.

As well as providing key training, improving practices and updating ways of working, Hospitality Elevator helps to alleviate isolation by inviting team members to participate in virtual sessions.

The programme will be delivered entirely online through a series of webinars and modules, and includes key training such as:

  • Covid-19: personal safety, workplace best practice, customer comfort
  • Customer service: new customer requirements and behaviours
  • Staff wellbeing: top tips and techniques to look after mental health
  • Product knowledge: table service recommending, perfect service, cocktail training
  • Diageo brand ambassador sessions
  • Licensing qualification (region specific)

Nicola Reid, Diageo Learning for Life manager, said the relaunch of the Diageo Learning for Life programme came at a critical time as Covid-19 restrictions impact on hospitality businesses.

She said: “People and businesses in the hospitality industry across the UK are fighting for their future and we stand alongside them in that fight.

“That’s why we’ve refocussed our Learning for Life programme so it offers the best training opportunities possible to support bar staff and businesses with skills that will help them weather the current storm.

“Along with our Raising the Bar initiative, we are putting every resource we have available into the battle to save the hospitality trade.”

Inga McVicar, national head of employability at Springboard, added: “As the hospitality sector responds to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and new guidance comes into place, staff training is more important than ever.

“Developed to enhance skills development in hospitality throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, the Hospitality Elevator course offers participants the opportunity to gain the most recent and up to date skills and qualifications while also improving their confidence.

“The pandemic has had a massive impact on hospitality staff, causing huge anxiety and stress, with their mental and physical wellbeing affected.

“The Hospitality Elevator programme offers some solution to this by providing training which helps employees feel more confident, improving their understanding of new guidance and ultimately leading them to deliver better service to customers.”

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