Training planned for bartenders and waiters

By Ramadhan Rajab

A total of over Sh10 million will be used to train bartenders and waiters in health and entrepreneurship at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)’s Tusker Academy.

In a launch of a training curriculum, in Nairobi, yesterday the East African Breweries Limited, Group Human Resource Director, Alban Mwendar, said the training would mainstream professionalism in bartending.

"We are concerned with the living standards of our people," said Mwendar. He said that the curriculum has emphasis on HIV/ Aids awareness and general cleanliness.

"The course will focus on behaviour change and fighting stigma to overcome the misconceptions that come with bartending," Mwendar said.

JKUAT Vice-Chancellor Professor Mabel Imbuga said the retail-training curriculum is tailored towards injecting efficiency.

"The curriculum will raise bar standard levels by teaching ethics and good customer relations to the participants," Imbuga said.

She said students would be trained in bookkeeping, taxation, and risk management and inventory practices.

More than 5000 bar attendants in more than 500 bars in Nairobi are targeted in this second phase.