There have been a lot of changes to the liquor licensing laws within the last few years and in January 2016 new Alcohol Guidelines were announced. In addition to this the Responsible Retailing Code of Practice for the sale and promotion of alcohol in Northern Ireland has been in operation since 2012. Off licence staff can now attend an Off Limits training programme to keep up to date with the new regulations, the new alcohol guidance and the Code of Practice standards for responsible alcohol retailing.
It is important for staff to keep up to date with changes in legislation but one of the main aims of the Off Limits training programme is to help to reduce under-age drinking by training off licence staff to avoid the sale of alcohol to under 18s and proxy purchasers buying on behalf of young people.
Off Limits is designed for off licences and is a short one day course covering the legal duties for staff working in an off licence, the potential harm of excessive alcohol consumption and how staff should deal with customers when they are legally obliged to refuse service. This programme is suitable for all levels of staff working in off licences and is also beneficial for people hoping to work in an off licence or a retail outlet licensed to sell alcohol.
The key message of this course is that sometimes as responsible alcohol retailers, staff have to say ‘no’ to customers. Tutors Siofra O’Reilly and Michael Stewart guide staff through the ‘why’, ‘when’ and ‘how’ of responsible alcohol retailing to help them to carry out their duties safely and legally when dealing with aggressive customers.
At the end of the training each participant is given an Off Limits Handbook and the opportunity to gain a certificate by completing a short multiple choice assessment paper.
Off Limits Course Outline
Unit 1: Legal Responsibilities
Unit 2: Alcohol Awareness
Unit 3: Responsible Alcohol Retailing – The Four Key Rules
Unit 4: Dealing with Aggressive Customers
Individual Assessment There is a short multiple choice question paper at the end of the training.
COMMENTS FROM PAST OFF LIMITS COURSE PARTICIPANTS
‘Course was exceptionally helpful and cleared up a lot of grey areas for me will carry on to all my staff.’
‘Very good course and directly related to workplace.’
‘Very good course, there is more to selling alcohol than meets the eye and the alcohol awareness was interesting.’
‘ Found it very helpful in refusing customers without sounding aggressive.’
‘A very interesting course. Learned a lot more than I thought I would.’
‘ Very worthwhile, helped me understand how to deal with situations.’
‘Well worth attending.’
For the cost of this course email your query with contact details to Siofra O’Reilly at SORT Training on email address info@sorttraining.com or phone 07757 250 917
