Welcome! The following are free trainings for you and your hospitality staff. These modules are aimed at upskilling employees to make them more effective on the job. The modules are introductory but will get you going in the right direction. Please contact the Workforce Development office at the Community College nearest you to learn about more professional development opportunities and the funding available to help pay for more training.
Server Training
These three modules in A Quick Guide to Wine, A Quick Guide to Beer and A Quick Guide to Spirits will give servers knowledge on how these beverages are made and the different types or classifications. Wine and Beer discusses pairing with food while Spirits takes a look at the construction of cocktails. These modules are geared towards giving servers more knowledge to better engage guests and increase beverage sales.
For Managers and Owners: It is recommended that restaurants have their servers complete these modules, then have a tasting of the restaurant’s offerings. This will give your staff the background knowledge and familiarity with your offerings to boost beverage sales.
New Manager Training
These three modules are designed to give new managers a step up in their roles. They will learn some of the basics and get set on the path to being more effective leaders.
Fundamentals of Hospitality Management training is for all managers in the Hospitality industry. It covers leadership principles, how to motivate employees and discipline them effectively. It also gives them a background in managerial obligations surrounding workplace harassment and child labor.
Basic Labor Cost Controls training applies to a wide range of managers. It teaches new managers the basics of labor cost, forecasting and scheduling. this training also includes some helpful tips and hints for new mangers to help the, controll labor cost.
Basics of Food Cost Controls training is for chefs and managers in restaurants or food & beverage departments. This module covers how recipes are costed, systems to control workflow and practical tips on taking inventory. It covers analyzing and troubleshooting food cost as well as corrective actions to bring costs under control.
Marketing
This series of three modules is for small operations that do not have a dedicated marketing manager or an employee with experience in marketing.
Hospitality Marketing Basics training looks at target markets and branding, important concepts to understanding and getting the most out of the next two modules.
Marketing With Your Website training describes best practices for building websites, explains how websites get noticed by search engines and strategies for getting your business to the top of searches. It also discusses email marketing.
Social Media Marketing training examines the various social media platforms available and how they work. It looks at what makes good content and discusses the tools to evaluate the effectiveness of your social media campaign. You will explore what that data tells you and how to plan for your next campaign. Included is a description of the technology that can help make social media campaigns easier to manage.
This free training opportunity is generously funded by the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine’s Workforce.
