Diageo held an April graduation for students in its “Learning Skills for Life” program. Students went through an extensive six weeks of training and received their bartending and beer server certifications, as well as ServSafe® alcohol training and certification. Students learn the fundamentals of wine and spirit service, receive customer service training, and learn beverage industry quality control and sanitation standards. To date, seven classes have graduated 103 students in Norwalk. The program began in 2014, when Diageo and The Bartenders Academy of Fairfield jointly developed the program to train unemployed and underemployed individuals to help them secure employment in the hospitality industry.

The 2016 Learning Skills for Life graduating class. Peter Lloyd Clayton, Owner, The Bartenders Academy of Fairfield, is on the far left.

Brian Mitchell, Beverage Director, Max Group Restaurants, was the keynote speaker at the graduation.