Over 270 individuals have been given a new chance at improving their lives and that of their communities after graduating from Guinness Ghana’s Learning for Life Programme in Accra.

Over 58% of the graduating class were women who joined the fully funded training programme organised in conjunction with the Youth Employment Agency, Ghana Tourism Authority, and the Diageo Bar Academy.

With a total of 616 people applying in Greater Accra Region alone, the trainees completed the training modules in topics such as front office operations & providing excellent services; Well-being & Bar hygiene; Food safety in Catering; Food service & Waitering; Budgeting & Book keeping.

The rest are communication and teamwork; emotional intelligence, negotiation and leadership skills; confidence and assertiveness; bar skills and mixology; personal safety at work; equality and diversity; sexual harassment; disability awareness; personal branding, career choices and CV skills, positive drinking and more.

Managing Director of Guinness Ghana, Felicite Nson, speaking at the graduation ceremony noted, “We hope that, as this maiden edition of the Learning for Life programme opens the opportunity for members of our society to take part to build the requisite skills and capabilities in the hospitality industry, we will see great entrepreneurs, hoteliers, Master mixologists, and the likes, emerge among our graduates.”

The Learning for Life programme is an essential element of Diageo’s sustainability ambitions and forms part of the beverage company’s 10-year global programme to help create a more inclusive and sustainable world in line with its Society 2030: Spirit of Progress agenda.

So far, Diageo has provided skills and resources to over 1.5 million people through the Diageo Bar Academy and also improved the employability and livelihoods of a further 200,000 through the global Learning for Life and other skills initiatives (of which at least half are women).