With the growth and change in the food and wine service industry over the past few years, the role of training and its importance is constantly in need of being redefined.
One of the Academy of Food and Wine Service’s main areas of activity is training. We believe training is an investment, not a cost, but also understand many businesses are time and resource poor. Our approach is to work closely with all the key stakeholders in the market and utilise their skills and experience for the benefit of the industry as a whole.
With this in mind we have devised, in conjunction with industry, a number of training programmes and materials that give the hospitality sector the front-of-house skills they require, but at a fraction of the cost normally associated with such training. This is achieved through donations from organisations such as the Savoy Educational Trust, as well as sponsorships from industry suppliers.
The AFWS training programmes range from 90-minute master classes through to a multi-day foundation course in food & beverage service.
1. Licence to Work®
The Academy of Food and Wine Service has, for many years, focussed on entry level, craft skills training. It is our belief that equipping staff early on with basic skills not only improves their service offering but also their confidence and by doing so reduces staff turnover.
Licence to Work® is an employer-led concept; a voluntary licence which all staff engaged in the service of food and beverages should hold. Created with help from employers and financial support from the Savoy Educational Trust, this is a modular course designed to equip those planning on entering the industry, or who are about to commence their first job, with the necessary skills required.
Licence to Work in Wine Service
This one day course is a qualification developed by The Academy of Food and Wine Service and examined and awarded by the BIIAB. At the end of this one day course delegates will take a multi choice examination that is Ofqual registered at NVQ/ SVQ Level 1.
L2W in Wine Service Workbook
If you want to quickly and cost effectively up-skill your F&B staff so they learn how wine can help you win new customers and increase sales and profits, the Licence to Work in Wine Service Workbook will get them started.
Priced at £10.00.
Buy the L2W in Wine Service Workbook here…
Licence to Work in Banqueting Service
Created in response to a plea from employers, this half day course is aimed at upskilling food and beverage banqueting staff. Designed originally to equip banqueting staffing agencies with an induction programme for their staff which answered the needs of the UK’s F&B Directors, it has since been tweaked for use in-house as well.
2. Professional Connoisseur Series: Senses, Service & Skills – An Introduction to Sommellerie
This is a half-day, beginner’s guide to the basics of sommellerie (wine waiting). Delegates will learn all the essential basics about wine, the major varietals, wine service and winemaking. Plus they will learn what is involved in a sommelier’s day.
3. Academy Advantage Masterclasses
In conjunction with the UK Guild of Restaurant Service and the UK Guild of Wine Service this series of masterclasses meets the need for short, sharp and effective bite-sized training.
4. Product Tutorials
Generally a two-hour long tutorial or tasting focusing on a particular country or regional grape variety, brand or local product. Designed for wine waiters, sommeliers, F&B supervisors and others interested in gaining more product knowledge, these tutorials are a great way to immerse your staff in the topic of the day
Click here to watch an AFWS whisky Masterclass with The Dalmore in Oxford November 2011.
Please email daniel@afws.co.ukif you would like to organise a tutorial for your product.
5. Performance Improvement Programme
This two-day (12 hour) programme provides delegates with the knowledge to improve profit performance through customer service.
Delegates learn about customer service, upselling and how to get the best from the customer to improve the bottom line.
The cost of £200 per delegate (£400 for non-members) is subsidised by the Academy of Food and Wine Service and is aimed at supervisors and managers, with a view to them imparting this knowledge to the rest of their team.
Please email daniel@afws.co.uk for further details.
6. Training Partnerships
We also work closely with awarding bodies such as the BIIAB and with hospitality training organisations like the WSET, UKBG, De Vere Academy and Court of Master Sommeliers to offer you a host of alternatives to our own training programmes. You can see how this links in with our training on the AFWS Roadmap. This shows a professional progression pathway which can take an individual from entry level through to foundation degree level in a variety of different disciplines.
If you don’t see something exactly fitting your requirements please contact the Academy by emailing daniel@afws.co.uk as bespoke programmes can be created to meet your requirements.
7. Learning tools and packs
SERVICE! training packs
Developed to enable you, or a senior member of your team to train your staff in professional food and beverage service, our Service! training packs can be used in-house to conduct your own training. The packs (4 in total) take further the basic messages and training elements touched upon in the Michel Roux’s Service TV programme.
The AFWS was instrumental in the making of the series and as part of our remit to raise the standards of food and beverage service we have produced a series of open and flexible learning packs in order to equip your team with the tools to offer your customers an enhanced dining experience.
Each pack contains a user guide for you and your trainee; PDFs of the workbooks – each one relating to nationally recognised standards and designed to enable you to develop your competence in service; skills training DVD clips, skills card PDFs – advice for your trainee, complete with a checklist on the reverse; a learning action planner and a training record card.
We have Service! packs in Food, Wine, Bar and Meetings and Events
Click here more information about the training packs
Click here for learning outcomes
SERVICE! training packs costs are as follows:
1 Pack:
AFWS member £100 +VAT
Non member £200 +VAT
Purchase all 4 packs for the price of 3!
Purchase SERVICE! training packs from AFWS here…
The full series of Michel Roux’s Service! is now available to the hospitality industry, under licence and can be ordered direct from Filmbank.
The Art of Service – interactive training activity.
The Art of Service is a board-based interactive training activity that demonstrates how to achieve great customer service. Its objective is to train restaurant and hotel staff in the very best aspects of hospitality and service. It raises the bar by teaching your staff exactly how to meet guests’ expectations. The focus is on the people in your business – how they perform, learn and represent what you and your business stand for.
The game comes with a book of instructions, but as it is very much a trainer-led game the AFWS is keen to ensure all those using the tool have had proper instruction on how best to use it within a work environment. A special edition of the pack is now available which includes a DVD of Fred himself explaining how to use the game and the theory behind it.
If you’d like to register to attend our next Art of Service Masterclass with the man, (Fred Sirieix) himself, please email daniel@afws.co.uk with your details and he’ll ensure you’re sent an invite.
Art of Service DVD
Fred Sirieix, Honorary Fellow of The Academy of Food and Wine Service presents a visual guide for the Art of Service Board Game. This DVD is perfect if you have a copy of the game and want to train new trainers on how best to use it.
Filmed with Fred at an AFWS ‘train the trainer’ master-class at The Dorchester Hotel, and whilst training his own staff in his restaurant, Galvin at Window’s, the DVD gives you the expert’s view on how to use the game and explain the theory behind The Art of Service.
Click here to purchase the Art of Service DVD for £9.99 + VAT (£11.99)
