The Largest Online Education for Hospitality Workers Has Concluded

By passing the last in a series of knowledge exams last week, the Badel 1862 Masterclass, the largest online education ever held in Croatia aimed at the professional development of hospitality workers, has concluded. Over 3000 waiters, bartenders, and chefs acquired new knowledge related to consumer psychology, wines, spirits, cocktails, and culinary arts through digital platforms over the course of a month. Of these, 1500 chose to take exams after each completed module, thereby meeting the requirements to receive special certificates.

– Badel 1862 closely collaborates with the tourism and hospitality sector, so we sought a way to help them during a time when they are facing the greatest crisis. We decided to enable everyone working in hospitality to further educate themselves and thus utilize the unexpected free time they received to strengthen their competitiveness in the labor market. At the same time, local communities where they work will benefit, as will the entire hospitality and tourism sector through the enhancement of service quality. It is clear that we recognized the needs well, as the response was enormous, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. This motivated us to continue the project, and we will conduct it regularly – said Vanja Bartolec, marketing director of Badel 1862.

The education was designed so that registered participants received access to video materials and scripts for specific areas at the beginning of each week over the course of a month, and knowledge tests were held on Saturdays for those who wished to obtain a certificate. Alongside Badel 1862 experts, external specialists conducted the education for specific areas. For example, Miro Majcen, who has four titles as Croatian champion in flair, educated participants about strong alcoholic beverages, while one of Croatia’s leading sommeliers, Darko Lugarić, taught about wines. Ivan Šarić held lectures on consumer psychology, while one of the most renowned and best local chefs, David Skoko, was responsible for the culinary area.

The most successful results among the hospitality workers who attended the Badel Masterclass were achieved by Danijel Čubranić, Josip Drnasin, Sunčana Smichen, and Vlatko Kovačić.

– It was an excellent idea to enable online education during the coronavirus pandemic. I received an excellent opportunity to learn something new and to further expand the knowledge I have gained in my 20-year career as a waiter. The concept of education with video materials and scripts was well thought out, and the instructors had very professional presentations and provided interesting materials – stated Danijel Čubranić, who works at Ostarija Veranda in Volosko.

In addition to hospitality workers, interest in education was shown by some who do not work in that sector but regularly visit hospitality establishments, so Badel 1862 also enabled them to further educate themselves. One such participant was Jelena Mijić, who was also among the top performers and was particularly interested in learning more about food and beverage pairing.

– I am glad that even I, a layperson who enjoys good food and drink, was given the opportunity to attend this online program. I enjoy engaging in conversations about what is being prepared, drunk, or eaten in a social setting, restaurant, or café. I believe that a guest, just like a hospitality worker, appreciates when they encounter a willing interlocutor who does not see a particular drink or dish merely as a sip or a bite. Behind every product and service, there is a story; it just needs to be told. This is exactly what the instructors we watched and listened to during the Badel Masterclass demonstrated – commented Jelena Mijić.

All instructors received high ratings from participants, and they themselves were extremely satisfied with the project and the large turnout of hospitality workers.

– The Badel Masterclass started as an interesting idea to help hospitality workers during the lockdown, and it has grown into a large project involving over 3000 people. I am glad to have been a part of it and happy that we managed to transfer knowledge to our hospitality workers. I believe that a quality worker should always be educated and that staff education in hospitality is a key factor for the advancement of workers and, ultimately, the hospitality establishment in which they work – said Miro Majcen.

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