Diageo training programme returns for third year

By Michelle Perrett

Published: 01 October, 2018

Diageo is launching its Learning for Life programme in London this week for the third year running to help train the next generation of bartenders.

The course, launched at the start of London Cocktail Week today, aims to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds who are struggling to secure a job to find their way into the jobs market.

Run by Diageo in partnership with The Springboard Charity, the course will see up to 14 Londoners embark on the six-week programme, which will prepare them for work in the hospitality industry.

It combines a mix of technical and vocational qualifications, industry visits and soft skills development (for example CV writing and confidence building). This is followed by a two-week work placement in a London pub or bar, providing students with hands on experience, and 12 months of ongoing support.

Upon completion of the course, graduates are awarded with a portfolio of their achievements, including accredited qualification certificates.

Diageo said that selected graduates from previous Learning for Life programmes would be invited to work behind the bar at a host of pop-ups hosted within the London Cocktail Week village in London’s Shoreditch.

“Bars in London are the envy of the world and at Diageo we’re incredibly proud to be supporting Learning for Life for another year as it looks to foster a new generation of bartenders,” said Charles Ireland, general manager GB, Ireland and France, Diageo.

While London’s hospitality industry was in good shape, there were still too many young and vulnerable individuals who were not in education or training, struggling to find and secure a rewarding job, he added.

So far, 945 people have graduated from the programme delivered by The Springboard Charity, which is run in conjunction with several business partners.

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