Admiral Taverns has become the first pub company to enable prospective licensees to sit the Award for Personal Licence Holders (APLH) exam at their regional open days, providing a cheaper, faster and more convenient way into the industry.
The pioneering partnership between Admiral Taverns and Red Lion Training, which offers e-learning for the licensed trade, means that rather than attending a day-long course at an approved education centre, prospective licensees can study online at a time that suits them before sitting the exam at an Admiral Taverns open day.
Economic and with immediate results
It also means participants can benefit from a unique pricing structure significantly reducing the cost of obtaining the licence, and results are provided on the day of the exam. More importantly, it means that Admiral is able to support interested parties much earlier in the process of establishing whether the life of a pub licensee is for them.
Karen Carlisle became the first licensee to take the exam at an Admiral open day in Manchester earlier this month. She is soon to take over Admiral community pub The Church Inn at Stalybridge. She commented:
“Admiral was recommended to us by a friend and they have been great to work with. Being able to take the exam at the open day was brilliant, very straight forward and it saved us time and money. By chance I’ve got another friend in Liverpool, who took the exam before me, but she’s still waiting for the results.”
Matching requirements
Suzanne Smith, head of licensee recruitment and training at Admiral Taverns, said:
“We pride ourselves in offering real support to our licensees, and this new service means we can provide valuable input from day one. As soon as Karen was considering becoming a licensee we helped her explore the kind of pubs she was interested in while she undertook her studies, so that by the time the open day took place in Manchester, she felt completely comfortable sitting the exam. As a result of this closer relationship, we already have a pub that matches her requirements lined up for her. This new facility provides a complete support solution.”
The APLH is awarded by the BIIAB (British Institute of Innkeeping Awarding Body) and is mandatory for all licensees. Admiral Taverns will now offer the course through Red Lion Training and provide examination facilities at all its open days across the UK, of which it hosts around 30 each year for prospective licensees. Admiral will continue to offer the traditional method of studying for the course at a training centre, recognising that online study will not suit all prospective licensees.
About Admiral Taverns
- Founded in 2003, Admiral Taverns is a Chester-based business with pubs located across England and Wales
- It operates a tenanted model: individual business people rent pubs from the company and in many cases are contracted to buy certain goods from Admiral as part of their agreement with the company
- With a pub estate comprising approximately 1,100 pubs, it currently employs around 25 business development managers, who serve as the main point of contact between the company and its tenants, and are expected to help tenants identify and implement business growth opportunities
- More information about Admiral and the way that it works with tenants is available via the company website: www.admiraltaverns.co.uk
- Potential tenants interested in finding a pub with Admiral can also download the Admiral Taverns app for Apple and Android via iTunes and Google Play respectively.