Diageo helps young unemployed find bar careers

Diageo has extended its Learning for Life Hospitality and Bartending Course in a bid to help young unemployed people in London pursue a career in bartending.

The course is operated in partnership with Springboard, a charity which provides programmes to help young, unemployed and disadvantaged people find careers within the hospitality sector

The six week course has opened its doors for the first time in Ealing and Brent – the surrounding boroughs of Diageo’s Global headquarters – and will equip 14 young adults for work with a mix of technical and vocational qualifications, industry visits and development of soft skills, such as CV writing.

After the course ends, each student will attend two weeks of work experience in a London pub or bar, followed by a guaranteed interview with a local employer.

The course is operated in partnership with Springboard, a charity which provides programmes to help young, unemployed and disadvantaged people find careers within the hospitality sector.

Andrew Cowan, country director for Diageo, said: “I am thrilled to be welcoming young adults from local boroughs to embark on this life changing course.

“Youth unemployment is a difficult issue for London, but London also has one of the most vibrant and fast growing hospitality sectors in the world, with fantastic opportunities for young adults with the right skills.

“We want to give young adults control over their futures to seize these opportunities and at the same time change perceptions of working in the hospitality industry. This program does just that.”

Having trained 100,000 people in 35 countries across the globe, the first Learning for Life course came to the UK in Glasgow at the start of 2014 – training more than 300 adults across 14 courses, 70% of which went on to immediate employment in the hospitality sector.