Cheers: Guinness is offering a free 15-day pre-employment training programme

A new training programme to provide young people in Northern Ireland with the skillset needed to kick start a career in the hospitality sector has been launched by Diageo.

Guinness Learning for Life – Gateway to Hospitality is a free 15-day pre-employment training programme which will help young people aged between 18 years and 26 years access employment in the hospitality sector, while investing in the skills needed to support the industry’s economic recovery.

The programme has been developed in partnership with employment charity Springboard and the Andras Group. The young people that participate will gain targeted industry and business skills, achieve an accredited industry qualification, be provided with CV and interview technique support and be guaranteed an industry interview.

Matching high-potential individuals with vacancies within the industry to reduce the skills gap, the Guinness Learning for Life programme has taken on added importance with many young people having left the hospitality sector due to the impact of the pandemic.

Commenting on Diageo’s commitment to support the industry and the opportunity the programme presents to young people, Claire Hutchinson, Diageo corporate relations manager, said: “At Diageo we are passionately committed to supporting the hospitality industry and recognise the pressing issue of staff shortages following months of mandatory closures.

“Our programme Guinness Learning for Life – Gateway to Hospitality, will provide young people in Northern Ireland with the tools, training and skills in the key areas they need to gain employment and thrive in the hospitality trade.

“Following the devastating impact that the pandemic has had, the need to fill the skills gap has never been greater with businesses having been closed and young people, so crucial to the vibrancy in the industry, moving away to seek employment in other sectors.

“The industry and its value chain are crucial to the recovery and long-term economic prosperity of Northern Ireland as a whole and it is good to see businesses back trading with customers through their doors following the unprecedented challenges of the last 18 months. Programmes like Guinness Learning for Life will help to support the industry in providing the exemplary service for which it is renowned the world over.”

Sharon Thorpe, from Springboard Charity, added: “We are really delighted to be working in partnership with Diageo on the Gateway to Hospitality training programme with the collective approach being to raise awareness of the Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism Industry, encouraging young people to choose it as a real career option.

“Given the wide variety of course content, it is a fantastic opportunity to learn many new skills and gain industry accredited qualifications…all in just 15 days. Like this partnership, it is so important that organisations work in collaboration to raise awareness of the variety of opportunities within the sector and to promote it and its many roles.”

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