Tennent's launches training academy

TENNENT'S is backing moves to improve standards in the hospitality sector by launching a facility to train staff in a range of skills from working behind the bar to running a busy restaurant.

It has turned a disused canteen at the Wellpark Brewery in Glasgow into a 1 million training academy, available to anyone in Scotland's pub, hotel and restaurant industry, with the scope to train thousands in the first year.

"Scotland's on-trade has had a very challenging few years, and we are committed to doing what we can to provide positive support and investment in our shared future," said Mike Lees, managing director of Tennent's.

He said the development had been given a high priority at Wellpark. "We believe prioritising this investment, which benefits the trade, is exactly the right thing to have done, especially in the current climate. There is no other facility like this in Scotland."

The academy is the latest in a series of investments at Tennent's backed by Irish cider company C&C, which acquired the Scottish brewer 14 months ago. These have included the transfer of jobs back to Glasgow, a fresh Tennent's marketing campaign and increased financial support for the brewer's clients in the publican trade.

The academy includes tasting rooms, a working bar and cellar, and a high-spec chef's kitchen. Classes begin this week, with an official launch on Thursday for 70 guests.

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: "Over 200,000 people in Scotland are employed in tourism jobs. The more we can do to show tourism is a rewarding career and to drive up standards across the industry, the greater the benefit will be for Scotland as a whole."