Luminar launches foundation degree
Luminar, the country's biggest late-night operator, has launched the first bespoke Foundation Degree programme specifically for bar and club managers.
More than 400 of its managers and staff from assistant manager level upwards have already enrolled and the first of them should be graduating in two to three years.
Delivered by Loughborough College and awarded by Nottingham Trent University, the qualification is designed to raise levels of professionalism, improve Luminar's recruitment, retention and competitivity in the post-licensing reform marketplace - and address the poor image that dogs the industry.
Candidates taking the Foundation Degree in Leadership & Management will be assessed on assignments and projects directly related to their workplace as well as exams, and success at each stage will determine their promotion prospects up to the level of general manager.
"Any training that does not improve your bottom line is, in my view, a waste of time," commented Luminar's head of training, learning and development Bill Wiseman. "But 90 per cent of this is about changing the perception of an industry that has been an easy target for the media over the past 18 months.
"With this degree we can say that we are being the most professional we can be. It will help create managers who can drive the trouble away, give people a fantastic party and make Luminar a destination employer."
In two or three years, Mr Wiseman hopes the degree will become a benchmark for the industry and company will be in a position to offer it to other pub and club employers.
Pictured: Luminar's Chicago Rock Cafe.
