Starbucks announces training course for middle-aged people

Industry

Published: 05 Aug. 2020, 17:50 Updated: 05 Aug. 2020, 19:13

Starbucks announces training course for middle-aged people

Starbucks employees promote a training program to support middle-aged people looking for a new job or hoping to launch a business. [STARBUCKS KOREA]

Starbucks Korea is helping middle-aged people find jobs or launch their own business with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The coffee chain said Wednesday it would help those aged 40 or above open a new cafe or find a job at a cafe by providing an educational program.

The ministry and Small Enterprise and Marketing Service, a division of the ministry, contributed in planning the program, which is part of an agreement Starbucks signed in May to contribute to the co-existence of conglomerates and smaller firms.

A hundred people will be recruited. They will learn about coffee and get useful advice on opening a new business. Those who wish to work for Starbucks will get a chance to work as a Starbucks barista after passing the recruitment process.

People who are accepted in the program will be trained at a Starbucks store for 16 hours in total. They will learn the latest coffee trends, customer service, hygiene management and the management of a store's profit or loss.

They will receive a mentoring service even after the program is complete, according to Starbucks.

"It is highly inspiring for Starbucks to go beyond the training program and offer an opportunity to land a new job," a spokesperson for the ministry said in a statement. The ministry will “come up with various programs that could give hope to middle-aged small business operators who are struggling due to Covid-19.”

Starbucks “will do its best to make the upcoming program function as a practical initiative to become another starting line for the middle-aged,” said Starbucks CEO David Song. Song added that the social experience the program participants have will harmonize with current Starbucks workers.

Registration for the program runs from Aug. 10 through Aug. 19 on the Small Enterprise and Marketing Service website. The training is scheduled to kick off in September.

Starbucks also runs programs supporting the recruitment of disabled people and women who are struggling to re-enter the workforce.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]