Training to win

The pub industry is showing that it is meeting the many challenges facing it as the best trainers in the business were rewarded at the BII NITA Awards.

With finding and retaining good staff one of the biggest challenges facing the industry as it goes into 2006, a growing cross-section of the pub trade is getting wise to the value of training.

More than 100 entries were received across the 12 categories at this year's BII NITA Awards, held in association with The Publican, which reward and recognise the best training and trainers in the industry.

Trainers from pubs, pub companies, brewers, retailers and colleges across the country came together at the event in the House of Commons in December.

The awards were hosted by John Grogan MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, who urged the industry to get behind The Publican's Proud of Pubs campaign and continue to show its responsible trading credentials through training and other activities.

Graham Rowson, licensee at the Plungington Tavern in Preston, became the first licensee in the awards programme's 15-year history to take away the Licensee Trainer of the Year award for two years running.

With 10 part-time and full-time staff at the pub, he states the reasons why he believes he won the award for 2005 as "commitment, passion, goodwill, staff motivation and effort... and that's just for starters!"

His training initiatives last year included taking his own "perfect serve" programme one stage further, educating staff about smoking and even developing his own board game - Risky Business - aimed at getting over some of the key messages about risk assessments, customer care, health and safety and the licensing laws.

"These sorts of things don't cost anything - they are all available free. Training doesn't have to be expensive," he said.

Another successful year​

John McNamara, BII chief executive, said 2005 had been another excellent year for the event.

"Since their launch in 1991, the BII NITAs have aimed to recognise and reward training excellence within the licensed retail sector," he said. "In all cases, each NITA goes to the entry which exemplifies training excellence and effective use of resources to achieve measurable results."

He added: "The BII wishes to express its grateful thanks to all those licensed retailing companies, individual licensees, independent training organisations, colleges of further and higher education and licensing authorities who, together with The Publican and the BII NITA category sponsors, contributed to the success of the 2005 BII NITAs."

The chairman of the judging panel was Professor Conrad Lashley, director of the Centre for Leisure Retailing at Nottingham Business School. He said: "The judges were pleased to see that the number of entries to the NITAs is continuing to increase. The judges were particularly pleased to note that a number of previous entrants had clearly taken on board the feedback given on their entry, and developed their training programmes from the preceding year."

All of which should make the 2006 NITAs even more interesting. Check The Publican later this year for full details of how you can enter.

The roll of honour​

Other winners at the awards, hosted by the BII in association with The Publican at the House of Commons, were:

• Pathfinder Pubs - Best Licensee Induction Programme in Managed Estates, sponsored by Punch Taverns

Greene King Pub Partners - Best Licensee Induction Programme in Non-Managed Estates, sponsored by Milestone Licensed Trade Accountants
Enterprise Inns was Highly Commended in this category

McMullen & Sons - Best Development Programme in Managed Estates, sponsored by Greene King

Greene King Pub Partners - Best Development Programme in Non-Managed Estates, sponsored by the BII

Punch Taverns - Best Area Manager/BDM Development Award, sponsored by Charles Wells

JH Leisure & Calderdale Council & Calderdale College - Social Responsibility where consumption is on the
premises, sponsored by JD Wetherspoon

Tates - Social Responsibility where consumption is off
the premises, sponsored by the BII

Coleg Ceredigion - Door Supervisor Training Award,
sponsored by BIIAB and City & Guilds

Punch Taverns - Innovation in Training Award, sponsored by S&N Pub Enterprises

Diageo Great Britain - Supplier Training Award, sponsored by the BII

Daniel Pettigrew, director, Daniel Pettigrew Training - Professional Trainer of the Year Award, sponsored by Enterprise Inns

Professional Trainer of the Year Daniel Pettigrew (second left) picks up his award from (from left) John Grogan MP, Peter Grieve, head of recruitment and training at sponsor Enterprise Inns, The Publican's publishing director David Goulthorpe and Richard Pearson, chairman of the BII