The Build Me a Brewery podcast recently featured Richard Dubé, Director of Online Education at the Siebel Institute, as part of its deep dive into training options available across the world. It’s available on Apple Podcasts now. No time to listen? A few main points are summarized below.
Training is important for consistency
The first craft beer boom in both the United States and Australia died primarily because of quality concerns.
Today, craft brewers understand that consistency is crucial to quality. Consumers are more sophisticated than in previous decades. If they love a beer, customers will want to repurchase — and they expect the beer to be the same from one visit to the next. To become consistent, brewers must understand more about what they are doing and the science behind why they are doing it.
Everyone from the bar staff to the brewer should be educated. Training can play a role from top to bottom. There are now training courses accessible at every investment level. In many cases, training can be done without even leaving home.
Online or on-campus training
Online learning has taken off during the past few years, but not all options are right for all students. Learners should consider their preferred styles whether it’s in-person or on-campus.
Siebel has created a new platform that allows for interactivity, including chats and interactions with videos. At Siebel, synchronous courses are also called “tutored courses.” The acquired depth of knowledge is similar to the traditional, in-person education experience.
In tutored courses, an industry expert will mentor students. Tutors engage with the class proactively to discuss the material using video chat sessions and support individual needs via e-mail.
These courses/modules typically take up to 11 weeks. Comprehension is evaluated by a mix of auto-graded self-assessments and mentored quizzes, which are typed and submitted for review. This learning environment suits students that thrive on interaction and feedback.
Other types of online courses include asynchronous or open sessions. Students enrolling in an open session will still get the benefit of a world-class brewing education — but in a more flexible format, completing the coursework in their respective timeframe.
At Siebel, students can enroll in open sessions throughout the year. This means additional flexibility. Once enrolled, learners have a set time to complete the coursework. Comprehension can be evaluated by an auto-graded self-assessment. Open session courses are managed by a monitor, who is an industry expert in the course material. The monitor is always available when the student needs help or clarification.
Australian training options
The podcast also featured Young Henry’s Co-Founder and IBA Training Advocate Leader Richard Adamson, who has been pivotal in the development of the CIII Microbrewing course in Australia and the greater national TAFE course framework for the brewing industry there.
To hear his perspectives, be sure to listen to the podcast!
About the podcast
Build Me A Brewery (BMAB) is a centralized online resource for aspiring, in-planning, and established brewery owners to become more informed and connected within the commercial brewing world. Catch up back episodes online here.