Our first year barista course
Since SEND’s inception in 2020, our primary objective has been to empower individuals by offering a comprehensive one-year barista course that equips learners with vital life and work skills. Through a tailored training regimen drawing from the SCA Certification, Competitions score sheets, and insights from seasoned baristas across the UK, our students undergo an immersive learning experience. Working closely with a mentor on-site every day throughout the academic year, they not only hone their technical abilities but also cultivate essential soft skills.
Our ultimate goal is facilitate a training program that elevates individuals facing adversities into highly proficient baristas, allowing them to embark on their careers not at an entry-level, but as skilled professionals. We aspire for our efforts to underscore the immense value and potential individuals with disabilities possess within the broader coffee industry landscape.
The course lasts for 48 weeks and serves as a structured pathway into the workforce. Initially, students receive foundational training in our primary classroom before progressing to our coffee shops, where they work closely with a Mentor.
Our mentors, at both the training sites and learning centre located in our head quarters offer personalized assistance to students, focusing on both life and work skills to provide them with a diverse skill set for future job prospects.
Life Skills
Our Life Skill Goals fall into 5 main categories.
Independent travel Training
Travel training is focused on teaching the learner to travel independently. This means they are able to make the journey to work from their house alone, and are able to choose a place to visit and travel alone to it.
Cooking
Cooking training is focused on teaching the learner how to cook for themselves at home, and plan their diets and meals appropriately for work. They are also expected to be able to cook for others by the end of the course, and understand dietary choices or concepts.
Social
Social training is focused on both how the learner interacts with people and hobbies or interests. They should be able to communicate 1:1 with others & with small groups of up to 5 people, and use social media safely. They should also know what their interests are and understand how to facilitate them independently.
Self Care
Self Care is focused on teaching the learner how to look after themselves, their environment, and their belongings. They should be able to demonstrate washing their clothes and themselves, but additionally should demonstrate cleaning their homes. They should understand how to look after their belongings or maintain them, and make healthy choices in both diet and exercise.
Financial Literacy
Training in financial literacy should help learners on how to count or use money safely, how to control their bank account independently, and how to make purchases safely. This also incorporates protective lessons on scam avoidance and fraud protection, which they are particularly vulnerable to.
Work skills
Our Work Skill Goals fall into 5 main categories.
Barista Skills
Utilizing our teams extensive barista skills we teach espresso extraction theory extensively, milk steaming, dialing in, coffee menu knowledge, latte art alongside knowledge and preparation of a range of beverages usually served at cafes. After the knowledge is taught then they are introduced to the practical aspect at three of our training sites to reinforce their lessons and hone their skills.
Food Safety & Preparation
We teach fundamental food preparation skills such as organizing, sanitizing and utilizing work spaces to make food offerings served at our cafes. We then progress onto understanding and following recipes, knife skills, wastage, allergens and core food safety principles such as stock rotation, cross contamination, food temperature safety and safe service.
Stock Management
Stock management deals with the allocation and rotation of stock in our retail sites, kitchens and service counters. This also includes the manual elements of safe lifting technique and responsibilities towards keeping our cafes and back of house hazard free in the form of correct storage protocols and keeping designated pathways clear at all times.
Customer Service
We help our learners perfect their body language and communication skills to ensure professional conduct at our training sites to ensure they are job ready to enter different work experiences after graduation. Along side this we teach our learners about different till systems and how to navigate and decipher customer orders through these applications.
Cleaning
Such tasks most people take for granted are much needed learned skills for our graduates. We ensure our learners have a keen eye for detail in all tasks they undertake, so naturally this extends to our mentors teaching our learners from the ground up proper protocols for cleaning up potential hazards and maintaining high standards of hygiene across the training sites utilized for their education.
