Nairobi, Kenya October 12 – Kenya Breweries Limited has unveiled a Diageo Bar Academy whose aim is to scale up bartenders capability to offer quality service to alcoholic beverage consumers as the economy reopens. The Academy intends to train 10,000 bartenders in the country over the next eight months.
The initiative aims at providing training on new insights for bartenders including cocktail trends and guidance on safe re-openings. In a fresh, inclusive twist, the program is exploring a partnership with Sight Savers, in order to onboard persons living with disability.
“After many months of Covid-related disruptions the reopening period is critical for many outlets and we are constantly looking at ways we can continue to support. We are harnessing years of marketing expertise from our global brands and packaging it up. This means bars and restaurants can build their social media offering and drive footfall into venues while adapting to the new entertainment environment,” said KBL’s Commercial Director Joel Kamau.
Kamau noted that consumers’ taste and preferences are evolving daily, adding that there is a need to reskill bartenders to both meet these demands and develop their careers here in Kenya. With the economy re-opening and holidays fast approaching the need for quality service delivery will be needed in many outlets; he added.
The academy will bring practical knowledge to Kenyan bartenders, who want to better themselves in their careers, inspiring them to take their jobs as bartenders as valid career options.
The last Diageo Bar Academy program, launched in February this year trained nearly 6,000 bartenders, two thirds of them being women. The programme also saw KBL train a majority of bartenders in rural outlets meaning that local and travelers to those areas can enjoy quality cocktails and service. In the first module, bartenders are required to attend a one-day training workshop where they learn about customer service, the art of bartending, tools of the trade, drink categories, responsible serving among other skills.
