Punch to improve training for BDMs
All 66 core division BRMs will be renamed partnership development managers (PDMs) and be required to undergo a more thorough training programme over the course of this year.
Until now, induction for BRMs has been a standard 12-week training course.
The new training programme involves three main elements. The first is knowledge skills, covering eight subjects including machines, digital media and beer. A number of these, such as the food and wine courses, were not featured in the previous training programme. The second element is skills training, which focuses on applying the knowledge to help Punch licensees develop their trade.
PDMs will be required to visit their pubs during peak trading times, once every 12 months, and give feedback.
David Wigham, Punch’s regional operations director, said the company noticed that BRMs with a pub background would have decent knowledge but might lack the skills elements, while those from outside the industry may have good skills training but lack knowledge. “We needed to bring the two together and make sure everyone was up to the same level,” he said.
The third stage involves taking the BIIAB Level 4 Certificate in Multiple Retail Management. Punch has been accredited to run the qualification itself, and 12 of Punch’s newest BRMs started the course last month.
Wigham said the launch of the programme follows research from 2009 that showed while the majority of Punch licensees liked their BRM, the proportion who believed they added value to their business was lower.
BISC inquiry applied pressure to act on training
Pubcos were put under renewed pressure to improve the training of BDMs last year when the Business, Innovation & Skills Committee said: “Such is the deep-seated culture of poor relations between pub companies and lessees that BDM training should have been considered a priority.”
Under the industry’s Framework Code of Practice, BDMs and BRMs must receive training and keep a record of their progress. A number of tenanted operators have incorporated the Level 4 certificate into their BDM training programme over the past year.
