Professional Barperson’s Qualification (PBQ) FAQ's
How long is the course?
1 day (09.00 - 17.00). The multiple choice examinations take place at 13.00 and 16.30 on the day of the course.
Where and when are the courses run?
We run courses for our corporate clients throughout the UK, either at our clients own workplace or at one of our established Training Centres. Where we are training at our clients premises, we are required to register the training facility with the BIIAB in order to meet our quality assurance standards. We perform this process on behalf of our clients at no additional cost to them.
Courses are run at the convenience of our clients, including weekends where required. Please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact US for more details.
How do I book?
Complete and return the PBQ Booking Form or call us on 0845 602 55 95 to book over the phone.
- PBQ Individual Booking Form (MS Word version / pdf version)
- PBQ Group Booking Form (MS Word version / pdf version)
For more details on how to book, please visit the 'Booking & Fees' section of our website.
How much does it cost?
£150.00 + vat (all inclusive of course handbooks, course materials, tuition & certification) per candidate.
Discounts may be available for corporate clients. Please call us on 0845 602 55 95 or Contact Us for more details.
What is the BIIAB Professional Barperson’s Qualification (PBQ)?
The Professional Barperson's Qualification is designed to develop bar staff and supervisory staff with the skills required to work in a rapidly changing competitive licensed retail environment (pubs, bars, nightclubs, hotels, restaurants etc.).
As well as examining at the core issues of the Licensing Act 2003, the licensing objectives and the responsibility employees have when it comes to the sale of alcohol, the Professional Barperson's Qualification also examines the service standards they should be looking to achieve in their place of work.
Who should attend this course?
The Professional Barperson's Qualification is designed for bar staff and bar supervisors working in the pubs, bars, nightclubs, hotels etc. The course is suitable for anyone wishing to enhance their skills and knowledge in the sector or for employers wish to develop employees into more supervisory roles.
What does the course cover?
The course is delivered in two units:
Unit 1: Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR)
What is alcohol and how does it affect us? • licensing law • protection of children • your social responsibilities • recognising drunkenness and your duty not to serve • dealing with alcohol-related crime and conflict •
Unit 2: Customer and Drinks Service (CDS)
Preparing the bar for service • service procedures • cleaning, clearing and closing • maintaining customer care • maintaining working relationships • selling skills payment and security •
What is the outcome of the course?
Candidates will have an understanding of their responsibilities under the Licensing Act 2003 and have a better comprehension of the effects of alcohol on the body and of the Responsible Retailing of Alcohol.
They will also have gained the skills to work more professionally, productively, efficiently and with more customer focus in their workplace.
On successfully completing the Professional Barperson's Qualification and passing the associated examination, candidates will receive a certificate from the BIIAB. The course will provide them not only with a nationally recognised qualification but also with the skills and knowledge to work more effectively, professionally and responsibly in their workplace.
How is the course assessed?
The course is assessed via a multiple choice examination at the end of each unit; candidates must pass both the examinations and attend all sessions of the training in order to be awarded their certificate.
Examination unit 1 (ARAR); consists of 25 questions of which 3 mandatory questions are based on the core aspects of the Licensing Act 2003. Candidates must answer all 3 mandatory questions correctly and correctly answer 14 out of the remaining 22 questions in order to pass the examination.
Examination unit 2 (CDS); consists of 30 questions of which candidates must answer 24 correctly in order to pass the examination.
Once completed, examination papers are returned to the BIIAB to be marked. The BIIAB allow themselves five working days to communicate the results to us; although to date the longest notification time has been 48 hours. We aim to inform candidates of their results by phone or by email the same day.
Certificates are sent to us from the BIIAB within 10 working days of the results notification and we aim to forward these by first class post to our clients, within 48 hours of them being received by us.
Who accredits the course?
The course is accredited by the BIIAB. Beyond The Blue are approved to administer training and examinations by the BIIAB.
The BIIAB ARAR (unit 1 og the Professional Barperson's Qualification) is endorsed by the government and is accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as a level 1 qualification. Level 1 means it is a qualification which supports employment progression.
The qualification counts towards other BIIAB qualification schemes.
Why choose Beyond The Blue as your training provider?
At Beyond The Blue we employ only specialist instructors to run our courses; all our instructors have extensive experience in the relevant fields. They train with the objective of helping candidates not just complete the course, but of gaining the skills and knowledge to succeed and be more effective in their workplace.
The experience of our instructors brings the subject they are teaching to life. Our training is based on a variety of training methods and comprises open learning, classroom based learning, scenario based learning, group work and interactive discussion; this approach allows us to meet the preferred learning styles of all candidates.
Beyond The Blue is a ‘BIIAB Grade 1’ Training Centre (The BIIAB describe Grade 1 as ‘demonstrating outstanding quality procedures’); we have exceptionally high pass rates for all our BIIAB accredited courses. In 2008 across the whole portfolio of BIIAB courses, only 3 candidates failed their examinations after attending training with Beyond The Blue.
Our success is measured in the success of those people we train, we are focussed on providing excellence in customer service both pre and post training.
For more good reasons why you should choose Beyond The Blue as your training provider, please visit the 'Why Choose Us?' page.
Additional information
A comprehensive course handbook is provided to each candidate when they register on the course to enable them to complete 'open learning' prior to training. 'Open learning' consists of candidates reading through the course handbook prior to attending the course. Our courses are designed to be interactive and to take a full part in the course candidates should be familiar with the content of the course handbook; this also results in better examination results as exams are based on this content.
To complement our professional training and the course handbook, we provide candidates attending our courses with a selection of comprehensive course hand-outs. These come together to form a training folder candidates can refer back to, in order to refresh their skills and knowledge.
Candidates are required to provide a form(s) of identity in order to sit the examinations. For a full list of acceptable forms of identity please download Examination Identity Requirements (pdf document).
We provide a number of different Training Solutions to help our clients working in the licensed retail sector meet their statutory requirements, up-skill their workforce and develop their business. Our training solutions include;
- National Certificate for Personal Licence Holders (NCPLH)
- Award in Responsible Alcohol Retailing (ARAR)
- National Certificate for Designated Premises Supervisors (NCDPS)
- National Certificate for Licensees - Drugs Awareness (NCLDA)
- Award in Customer Service Excellence – Licensed Premises* (ACSE-LP)
- Certificate in Alcohol Awareness* (CAA)
- Award in Assessment of Licensed Premises – Social Responsibility* (AALP-SR)
- In-House Licensed Retail Sector Induction* (IHLRSI)
- Award in Conflict Management (ACM)
- National Certificate for Door Supervisors (NCDS)
*For more details on these courses please Contact Us
For candidates attending the NCPLH we provide a Personal Licence Application Service (pdf document) on request, which takes the hassle out of the application process and avoids any delays in the processing of the personal licence application.
We also help our clients to succeed through our Consultancy Service - The Licensed Retail Sector.
For more details on our Course Dates and Fees please visit the Bookings & Fees section of our website, Contact Us or call us on 0845 602 55 95 to book your place.
Please also visit our National Press Archive and MD Blog for relevant industry news, our comment and advice or join us on Facebook.
Other useful pages in this section of our website include:
• Licensed Retail Sector (Home Page) • Training • Frequently Asked Questions • Useful Information • Responsible Alcohol Retailing • The BIIAB • Incentives & Discounts • Download a Leaflet •
