BarLifeUK and Edrington-Beam Suntory are excited to welcome a new generation of bartenders to the Rookie Programme family.
The Rookie Programme, a collaboration between BarLifeUK and Edrington-Beam Suntory, provides an unparalleled year-long training platform for bartenders with less than 18 months experience behind a cocktail bar.
The programme brings together leading experts in this industry’s many and varied fields, so that they can share knowledge accrued over many years with the Rookie Programme students. Everything a bartender needs to know in order to succeed will be covered during the year, making the Rookie Programme an unrivaled opportunity to learn foundation skills, and far beyond.
Why apply for the Rookie Programme?
Over the last three years Rookie Programme alumni such as Zoë van der Grinten (FAM Bar & Bar Sardine), Adam Day (Wood & Company, Peggy’s Bar & World Class Top 10), Lewis Jenkins (Swift), India Blanch (Silent Pool Gin) and Tom Godfrey (Four Pillars UK Champion & Filthy XIII) have gone on to open their own bars, win major cocktail competitions, become band ambassadors, and work in top venues around the world. Speak to any of the 36 bartenders who have graduated and they will tell you about the impact the programme has had on their careers.
The knowledge, relationships and opportunities this year of training and making connections provides is something that simply cannot be bought. The intimate size of the sessions also means they are more workshop than lecture, with the Rookies encouraged to interact with and chat to the presenters, a rare opportunity during busy branded masterclasses.
To give an idea of the caliber of training Rookies can expect over the year, previous speakers include (but are certainly not limited to) – Jake Burger, Gareth Evans, Erik Lorincz, James Hopkins, Jim Wrigley, Dan Priseman, Bobby Hiddleston, Alex Kratena, Andrea Montague, Tomas Estes, Jesse Estes, Dan Warner, Amanda Humphrey, Andy Mil, Stu Bale, Claire Warner, JJ Goodman, Hannah Lanfear, Elliot Ball, Tim Etherington-Judge, Paul McFadyen, Ally Kelsey, Davide Segat, Mark Ward, Ali Reynolds, Josh Reynolds, David Miles, Thomas Aske, Rebekkah Dooley and Dean Callan
Who can apply for the Rookie Programme?
The Rookie Programme is free to those who are selected – all travel, accommodation, food and drink is paid for, and the programme is conducted in a friendly and inclusive environment – anyone who meets the criteria below is welcome to apply.
Qualification for the Rookie Programme is simple, all you have to do is fit into these simple criteria:
- Be over 18 years old or more
- Have worked behind a cocktail bar for less than 18 months (time working in pubs, on the floor, as a barback etc DO NOT count towards those 18 months)
- Work in either England, Wales or Scotland
- To be willing to give up 1 day a month to attend the sessions
- To see the hospitality industry as your long term career
You can nominate yourself or someone else for the programme. There is no limit to the amount of nominations one person can have so feel free to encourage your bosses/colleagues to nominate if you wish (nominations from mums and partners are lovely and all but probably not entirely relevant). However a single nomination or application is all that is required – everyone who applies will be given the same consideration by the selection group.
Do not miss out on the opportunity to get involved in the Rookie Programme. the nomination form below takes about 10 minutes to complete – not a bad return for a year of training, complete with food and drinks in some of the UK’s best bars.
Applications and nominations end on April 5th after which BarLifeUK and Edrington-Beam Suntory will sit down and come up with a shortlist (based on the form below), we will then make calls and visits to pick our final 12 for the 2019 programme.
Good luck and don’t put this one off.