Starbucks to offer staff NVQs
04 October 2010 09:53
Baristas at Starbucks will be able to pick up a qualification in making lattes after the coffee chain revealed plans to offer a range of NVQs.
From next year in the UK, employees will be able to study for qualifications in customer service and food hygiene. The move is part of a multi-million pound training scheme designed to improve the coffee drinker's "experience".
Starbucks supervisors can begin enrolling for the NVQs from next summer, with junior colleagues following on in 2012. 'MBA-style' training schemes will also be available for senior managers in collaboration with Ashridge Business School.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director of Starbucks UK & Ireland, said the coffee chain planned to bring the training in-house within a year so that it could award its own qualifications – following the likes of McDonald's, Network Rail and Flybe which began accrediting nationally recognised qualifications in 2008.
He said: "The stores that are the best run have the best teams. Investing in [our] people will make for a better customer experience and makes good business sense. We're trying to build a company that balances corporate social responsibility with profitability".
Under the new training plans, staff will also be apply for a personal fund to spend how they wish on hobbies unrelated to the workplace, such as learning how to speak Italian.
Mr Willson-Rymer said internal staff surveys showed many people were interested in building a career at the company while gaining transferable skills.
He added the learning and development schemes on offer should help to boost morale and reduce staff turnover. "[The training] is good news for our customers who want to see familiar faces, but it's also the right thing to do at a time when coffee shops are providing so many jobs," he said.
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