While bars, restaurants, hotels and nightclubs across the UK remain closed by Covid-19 restrictions, hundreds of staff are using the shutdown to upskill for when the sector opens up again.
Since November, 466 bar staff from across the country have taken part in Diageo’s Hospitality Elevator training programme. Participants from Orkney to Plymouth have engaged with the virtual course, including employees of major bar chains and international hotels to student unions and independent operators.
Delivered in partnership with the charity Springboard, Diageo’s Hospitality Elevator virtual programme has been designed to provide specialist support to people working in the sector during the COVID-19 crisis.
Free for those already working in – or on furlough from – the bar industry, the Hospitality Elevator programme focuses on worker wellbeing, developing personal resilience and thriving in a post-Covid world, and enhances existing practical skills and knowledge to gain industry-recognised qualifications. The course has been over-subscribed since November, highlighting a strong appetite from hospitality workers and businesses for training and development during lockdown.
The Hospitality Elevator course forms part of Diageo’s award-winning Learning for Life programme, which supports the on-trade sector to attract, retain and nurture talent.
Four members of Edinburgh’s House of Gods Hotel front of house team completed the training course. Ian Stokes, General Manager at the hotel, said: “As an employer, I’ve found Diageo’s Learning for Life Hospitality Elevator an invaluable resource for our business. It’s been an ideal tool to keep the team’s skills sharp during these testing times.
“Not only does the programme give our employees those practical skills to carry out their day-to-day tasks, but it drives their confidence and allows them to grow as professionals.”
Daniella Moorby from Penrith works for MacDonald Hotels and recently completed the Hospitality Elevator course. She said, “The Diageo Learning for Life Hospitality Elevator course has helped me obtain my Award for Personal License Holders hassle-free, with easy-to-use technology and in the comfort of my home.
“The course facilitator was knowledgeable and helpful, the course itself was interactive, interesting and well-structured and the course materials detailed and easily accessible. Diageo life HE courses offer an array of materials indispensable for effective leadership and career development in the industry and every hospitality member would benefit from it.”
Nicola Reid, Learning for Life Manager a Diageo, added: “It’s fantastic to have had such a strong uptake of our Hospitality Elevator course since it relaunched as an online offering in November.
“Times are incredibly tough for the hospitality industry at the moment which is why it’s important that we continue to commit significant investment to helping those in the industry to train, improve their skills and stay motivated.
“We don’t yet know when the hospitality sector will open back up, but we do know that when it does, it will need skilled, confident and engaged people to help secure its long-term future as a vital cornerstone of our society.”