Griffith College provides a perfect mix to advance hospitality careers

Griffith College Limerick’s BA in Bar Management Apprenticeship Programme offers learners a comprehensive set of skills needed to succeed in the bar trade. Picture: Olena Oleksienko/ilovelimerick. In Collaboration With Griffith College

Griffith College provides a perfect mix to advance hospitality careers with the National Framework of Qualification level 7 BA in Bar Management Apprenticeship

Griffith College is the coordinating provider for the Bar Manager Apprenticeship which is a jointly delivered with employers in the trade. The programme is designed to equip learners with the wide range of skills required to operate a successful bar.

The three-year National Framework of Qualifications Level 7 BA in Bar Management Apprenticeship, offers candidates the opportunity to gain a primary degree, which is designed to meet the evolving needs of the bar trade, earning while they are learning.

The course content was devised and is overseen by a consortium of bar trade employers; The Old Quarter Limerick, Paris Texas Bar Kilkenny, Silken Thomas Kildare, Tullys Bar Carlow and the Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), with Griffith College as the coordinating provider. The programme covers contemporary bar issues, legal and regulatory requirements, finance and operational management, food and beverage management, food safety, personal development and leadership management, commercial skills, social media and marketing, human resource management, communications, procurement, lean strategies and sustainable operations.

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The programme recently undertook a revalidation with QQI, incorporating a significant update to the content and scheduling based on feedback from apprentices who graduated from the programme. The programme provides apprentice bar managers with a wide range of skills required to operate an efficient, effective, and compliant bar while delivering an excellent, consistent customer and staff experience.

 JJ Mulcahy, owner of the Old Quarter Pub & Townhouse, said the programme comes from a long relationship between Griffith College and the Old Quarter, where students would spend time at the establishment to “learn about the bar trade and learn about the kitchen”.  

 Mr Mulcahy said, “The Apprenticeship Council of Ireland were looking for submissions for new apprenticeships. So I explained to Griffith College what the bar trade was about, how it should be. For most people, they don’t see the bar trade as a career; they only ever see it as a stopgap. So we looked at how we could incorporate the bar manager role as an apprenticeship, and that’s where it all started.”

“Now it’s a level seven degree programme with QQI recognition, which is 180 credits, which is the same as any degree program in any other college,” Mr Mulcahy explains, adding, “I sit as chairman of the programme development board and also chairman of the consortium steering group that leads the apprenticeship and developed the apprenticeship.”

This programme is funded by Generation Apprenticeship, a major state-funded expansion initiative aimed at more than doubling learners from diverse backgrounds using the apprenticeship route.

Enrolments normally take place each January and September.  The next enrolment will be September 2026, the benefits for apprentices engaging with the apprenticeship are typically but not limited to, that successful candidates receive a QQI level 7 BA in Bar Management; apprentices earn while they are learning; and Griffith College provide a holistic approach to learning, including supporting apprentices and mentors throughout the apprenticeship programme through a network of academic success coaches.

Apprentices gain an enhanced skillset, creating a pathway to higher-paid roles.  Griffith College provides a full third-level college campus with resources to support apprentices, and the programme, because it is on the national framework of qualifications, provides progression routes for those who wish to pursue further study.

Jonathan Murphy, the Head of the Apprenticeship Department in Griffith College, highlighted that the apprenticeship also benefits employers with retention of professional staff, the introduction of new ideas to the business and the development of a learning culture within the organisation which benefits all staff. Workplace mentors acquire new skills which they can apply to staff at all levels.  Research has shown that employees tend to favour organisations who provide development opportunities.