The Barperson's National Certificate

At last, barstaff need no longer be judged purely on the size of their chest.

The new Barperson's National Certificate (BNC), launched by the British Institute of Innkeeping at September's Pub & Bar show, is the strongest sign yet that working behind a bar has become a profession in its own right.

Barstaff can test their knowledge and skills, prove that they have reached a nationally recognised standard and use the qualification as the first firm step on a career in the licensed trade.

The BNC has been many months in the making.

Accessibility - making sure that it fits comfortably into the working life of an average barperson - is vital if staff are to take it up and trials were carried out in a number of pub groups before it was officially launched.

Among the first to take the test were staff at the Porter & Sorter, a Wizard Inns pub in Croydon.

Phil Mellows talked to two of the successful candidates, to their manager and the company's training manager to find out what it means for them.

The BNC - how it works​

The Barperson's National Certificate (BNC) will form one part of a bigger qualification which aims to cover all the knowledge and skills required to work behind a bar. New modules will be added from next year.

Meanwhile, the BNC focuses, in a similar way to the BII's National Licensee's Certificate, on the legal aspects of the job - especially important now that barstaff have a responsibility under law to control such matters as underage drinking.

The BNC is designed to be available to all barstaff in all pubs. On registering, staff receive a workbook which takes them through what they need to know. Questions at the end of each section enable them to check their progress as they go along.

Units include:

• licences and licensing hours
• young people
• dealing with trouble
• drinks
• the strength and effects of drinks
• drugs
• preventing and dealing with violence
• social responsibilities.

On completion of the workbook the test itself is taken by an unusual method.

Candidates phone a special number, key in an identification code and are given a series of multiple choice questions which they answer by using the keypad.

If they don't hit the pass mark first time, they get one more chance.

The telephone exam is the main thing that has changed as a result of the original trial.

"A lot of barstaff are hands-on. They aren't really academic," explained John McKeown, manager of the Porter & Sorter.

"It helps if they can answer the questions over the phone rather than having to sit down and do a written test. People these days are used to using mobile phones like that."

For more information about taking the BNC:​email barperson@bii.org, orwrite to Qualifications Department, the British Institute of Innkeeping, Wessex House, 80 Park Street, Camberley, Surrey GU15 3PT.​

The licensee​ - John McKeown

John, who began his career working for David Bruce at the Phoenix and Firkin, runs one of Wizard's busiest outlets. The Porter & Sorter sits in a lucrative spot between East Croydon railway station and the local Consignia sorting office and was recently expanded.

He encourages all his staff to train and himself holds a number of the BII's Advanced Qualifications (AQs). His assistant manager, Hayley Reeves, has five AQs.

Five of his staff took the BNC during the trial, three passed and a fourth missed out by a single point.

"It's the way this business is going," he said. "When I'm stuck in the cellar or the kitchen it means that two or three people on the floor have got to enforce the licensing laws, to handle drunks and to watch out for drugs. It helps to explain to customers why you are doing what you are doing and that means they need an understanding of the law - the BNC does that.

"I can talk them through the law, but it takes time and it's nice to have a systematic approach. People want to know whether they get a certificate at the end of any training. It's important to them.

"The BNC is more in-depth than Wizard's own workbook and it's nationally recognised. It's about time we had something like this.

"NVQs aren't relevant to what we do here. People have to work too fast - on a typical Friday night we are carrying out 3,000 or 4,000 transactions across the bar.

"I'd be surprised if a couple of my staff don't make managers in a couple of years and there are three or four who would make great professional bartenders if the job had that kind of status.

"We have still got the problem of low pay but hopefully we will get to the point where people who hold the BNC can ask for a couple of pounds an hour more - because they have got the certificate."

The staff​ - Diana Hillman and John Bishop (pictured below)​

Diana​ was a hairdresser before breaking her career for 13 years to look after her children. She started working again three and a half years ago when she got a job helping out in the Porter & Sorter kitchen. Now she is a full-time floor supervisor at the pub.

"I was nervous about taking the test, I hadn't done anything like it for so long, but I'm really pleased now that I have passed," she said.

"The course was very informative. I read the workbook every evening for two weeks and it was fascinating and enjoyable as well.

"Everyone should do it. If the staff are well trained, the pub runs smoothly. You do get abuse from customers and if you know the law you are more confident about dealing with it."

John​ was a scaffolder before being injured at work and joined the Porter & Sorter staff after gaining some experience in hotels. He started behind the bar and is now kitchen manager with a team of seven staff.

"I look on the licensed trade as a long-term career and I like to learn," he said. "It was great to get the chance to take the new exam, even though I don't work behind the bar any more.

"I have told Wizard that I want to do it all, and I think it is important to have a knowledge of every aspect of running a pub - it all helps.

"I would certainly like to have my own pub. I even know what I'm going to call it!"

The training manager​ - Sue Nugent

As Wizard Inns' training manager, Sue nominated the Porter & Sorter to take part in the BNC trial earlier this year. Wizard also has staff at two pubs participating in the ongoing second phase of the trial, which is testing the telephone exam - the Porter & Sorter staff took a written test.

"We are great believers in encouraging our staff to improve themselves, they are the managers of tomorrow as far as we are concerned," she said.

"A lot of pub companies are already doing something like the BNC, we have our own workbooks and so on.

The difference is that this isn't company specific and because it is recognised nationally it helps give barstaff a more professional image.

"The feedback we have had indicates that staff are pleased there is a qualification that recognises their status and treats them seriously at last. It's not just something that people do to earn a bit of extra money any more. I'm hoping that will make recruitment easier.

It's not just the attitude of 18-year-olds, it's the parents who say they don't want their sons and daughters working in a pub and if the BNC is available, that could influence them to take the job more seriously.

"Taking a qualification like this can also help newcomers to the industry decide whether it's a career course they really want to follow. People who come into the industry with the aim of run