Young baristas brew up new skills at Glasgow Skills Academy

Young people have been brewing up new skills with the help of local coffee expert, Ryan Sinclair, as they embark on barista training at Hillington-based Skills Academy.

Article Source: Kibble
Last Updated: 7 November 2024 15:53

A group of 12 young people attended the training day hosted at the purpose-use Skills Academy, part of Kibble Group, which saw them learn the basics of being a barista, latte art and how to create the perfect cup of coffee.

The young people who attend the Skills Academy have struggled to engage in mainstream education and attend the purpose-use facility to gain qualifications while learning skills that will help them transition into the workplace.

The session was run by Ryan Sinclair who owns Koffee Kart and Standards Hospitality. Ryan began his own journey in hospitality at the young age of 16 and has worked in cafes, restaurants and now offers wedding-catering and training with his years of knowledge and experience.

The young people ended the day with a Barista skills course completion certificate, giving them a stepping-stone to help jumpstart a career in the hospitality sector.

Ryan Sinclair, owner of Standards Hospitality and Koffee Kart said: “Building a career in hospitality has been incredibly rewarding for me, and I hope that providing these young people with these skills I can help them take their own first steps into the world of hospitality.”

Through an ongoing partnership programme with local businesses and organisations, The Skills Academy offers education and training opportunities to meet unique or vocational needs of the young people who use its services.

The ethos of the Skills Academy is to provide pathways into employment for young people who have experienced social disadvantage or vulnerability, struggle to engage in mainstream education and ease the transition from full-time education into a workplace.

Lisa Wardlaw, head of Skills Academy said: “Barista training is something we’ve wanted to offer our young people for some time now, with hospitality being an appealing and accessible route into the world of work for many young people. I’m really pleased that we managed to set up a partnership with Ryan and he was able to impart some of his well-honed skills and expertise to our young people. I could see the confidence growing throughout the day and for me that highlights exactly what the Skills Academy is all about.”

Leaving with a certificate and a newfound confidence in latte art, one young person said: “I could see myself working in a coffee shop now, and maybe one day I could open my own cafe, I’d call it Coffee Toffee!”

The Skills Academy is a purpose-use space that offers young people experience in a range of roles including mechanics, joinery, hairdressing, painting and decorating and gardening.

The Skills Academy is part of children and young people’s care charity, Kibble Group, and is an education and training centre for young people to learn vocational skills while gaining an education to create pathways into the world of work. The Skills Academy works with organisations from a wide range of sectors allowing young people to understand the careers available to them within different industries and the route to accessing the roles they want to secure.

The Skills Academy works closely with local authorities and schools to provide SQA and City & Guilds certified courses and qualifications to young people throughout Glasgow and Renfrewshire.

For more information, or to learn more about Kibble and The Skills Academy, please visit www.kibble.org

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