Bartenders fit to mix

Red Stripe Jamaica, in collaboration with the Human Employment And Resource Training Trust National Training Agency (HEART Trust/NTA), hosted a graduation ceremony, held on Sunday, July 7, for the Red Stripe Bar Academy Programme at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel. More than 300 persons graduated from the programme which implements training for bar operators and bartenders in an effort to improve the community bar business. The programme is also a means of establishing long-term partnerships with the bartenders.

Red Stripe has successfully enrolled 1,500 bartenders islandwide into the training programme and is extremely pleased with the outcome of the academy to date.

"Deeply entrenched in our people at Red Stripe is an enduring passion for building amazing relationships, bringing out the best in people, and creating great times, great experiences," said Brian Pengelley, director of sales at Red Stripe.

He said that, when the Red Stripe Bar Academy was launched in 2010, they had no idea that three years later the programme would have grown by 622 per cent, impacting the Jamaican economy and growing micro-businesses in a sustainable way.

TRAINING SESSIONS

The students received training in areas such as basic bartending skills, financial management, as well as basic marketing and sales skills. Training was carried out by Red Stripe's sales and marketing professionals, Bars to Go Bartending Training Institute, as well as the HEART Trust/NTA. To complete the programme, HEART Trust/NTA will assess graduates and bar owners will receive premium visibility items to improve the look of their bar. When the training is completed, persons involved will have a chance to share in more than $500,000 in prizes. The graduates were also certified in bartending.

Since its inception, more than 1500 persons from Jamaica have participated in the programme.