Diageo launches £5m youth training programme

Hundreds of young, unemployed people could benefit from Diageo’s new £5 million training programme –Learning for Life, in Scotland.

Diageo is investing £5million to help young, unemployed people acquire vital skills for the world of work

Initially launched in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008, Scotland will be the first European country to launch the Learning for Life programme, with plans for a global roll-out at a later date.

Through the five-year investment programme, young people will acquire new skills through technical training and work-based experiences, which in turn could lead to a range of potential career opportunities.

Diageo hopes Learning for Life, Scotland will create opportunities for at least 200 newly trained graduates within the hospitality sector as a result of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

Leading the programme will be Peter Lederer CBE, director of Diageo in Scotland and chairman of Gleneagles.

“The 2014 Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games coming to Scotland in the same year gives us a unique opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of young people and also to give a real boost to our hospitality industry,” said Lederer.

“With Learning for Life, Scotland, Diageo is determined to play its part in seizing that opportunity and looking beyond 2014, we want to build on that by using our business in the broadest sense to help create opportunities for young people in manufacturing as well as hospitality.

“We also want to use the programme to encourage the kind of entrepreneurship which has made Scotch whisky a global triumph.”

Initially the programme will focus on bartending and hospitality, before moving on to retail, manufacturing and entrepreneurship. In addition, participants will also look at customer service, product knowledge, information technology and life skills, including teamwork and interview preparation.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS), members of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and specialist training providers, including charity Springboard UK, will also contribute to the project.