Industry gets cut-price courses

Oh, and you have to be in the London area. The WSET's windfall has come partly as a result of the city winning the 2012 Olympics and partly because of Mayor Ken Livingstone's personal mission to attract more visitors to the capital. As a result, two training programmes have been devised specifically to target small on-trade businesses that find it difficult to find the time and money to train their people.

Professional Serve is supported by the mayor's London Develop-ment Agency and delivers a choice of WSET certificates in wine service, bar service at foundation and professional levels and a Train the Trainer qualification.

Perfect Pour is supported by the European Union and the Learning and Skills Council. It offers a variety of modular courses including WSET's Foundation Certificate in Wines, Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits, Professional Certificate in Spirits and Train the Trainer as well as the BII National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders, the CIEH Basic Food Hygiene and the NVQ in Bar Service among others.

Nigel Littlewood, the man drafted in to organise the new training, says "the phone has been ringing off the hook" since it was announced, and at these prices it's not surprising.

To take a couple of typical examples, the WSET Certificate in Wine Service normally costs £500 but it's only £30 as part of Professional Serve, while under the slightly less well subsidised Perfect Pour, the £105 Foundation Certificate in Wines is a snip at just £25.

The first series of courses has nearly sold out and WSET is about to start marketing the next series in the autumn. The money will finally run out in summer 2007 when a total of 775 courses will have been completed.

"Our main aims are to engage with smaller businesses in the training process and to professionalise those businesses," explains Nigel. "That should improve their performance and give their staff something for their CV that will give a chance to increase their pay and open up more of a career pathway, increasing their loyalty to a business - or at least to help retain them within the sector."

l If you run a pub or bar in the London area and would like more information on the Professional Serve and Perfect Pour

programmes call Nigel Littlewood on 020 7089 3836 or email nlittlewood@wset.co.uk