Vol State to offer bartending training

By Madison West

Volunteer State Community College, in partnership with Elite Bartending School, will be offering a bartending training course for the first time this December to help students further their skills in the food and beverage industry.

This program is a 40-hour, two-week event and is designed for prospective bartenders to practice their craft with skilled instructors who can prepare them for a high-volume environment.

Bar managers in the area have mixed feelings about this opportunity.

“The best way to become educated on bartending is to work as a bartender, which generally comes after a period of serving or bar backing. An education in bartending basics doesn’t necessarily hurt, but the true test of a bartenders competence isn’t merely knowledge, but how they apply that knowledge, how they work under pressure, how well they work in high intensity, interpersonal environments, and umpteen other qualifications that can only be gained through on the job experience,” says Jake Gomes, general manager of Bottle Caps which is a new bar opening in downtown Nashville, Tennessee.

The 40-hour course is divided up into 20 hours of lecture and 20 hours of hands-on training. During this time students will receive information on Tennessee’s server permit.

Students who complete this course will have free workshops available to continue to hone their skills.

“This is a different offering for us and one that we think will be of interest especially since it provides an opportunity to earn extra money at times and locations of [the students] choosing, during the holidays and for special events,” says Hilary Marabeti, Assistant Vice-President of Economic and Community Development at Vol State.

This course will be offered twice in December, the first course is being offered from Dec. 7-10 on the Gallatin campus and the second being offered from Dec. 14-17 on Elite Bartending School’s campus located in Nashville.  This course tuition is $750.

Though space is limited, students shouldn’t worry if they miss these first few courses. Marabeti says that Vol State hopes to offer this course three times a year.

To register, click here: https://registration.xenegrade.com/volstate/coursedisplay.cfm?schID=11423&check=1