Led by Brewhouse and Kitchen, the Brewing Apprenticeship Trailblazer has formalised the first stage of a transformative shift in the pub sector and wider hospitality industry, with the submission of its standards and end point assessment to the Institute for Apprenticeships (IFA).

Bolstered by a strong commitment to improve educational excellence in the field, the initiative is supported by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and driven by a line-up of the industry’s top-level trailblazers.

Members of the 25 strong brewer partnership include Greene King, Five Points, Wimbledon, Fullers, Heineken and Marston’s, and it is chaired by Kris Gumbrell, chief executive of Brewhouse and Kitchen, the UK’s largest brewpub chain.

Serving as the first formal accreditation of its kind for future brewers, the announcement is set to recalibrate a professional infrastructure that currently does not progress beyond level 2. The Brewing Apprenticeship Trailblazer network has been meeting for the past 11 months to finalise this level 4 brewing apprenticeship, ensuring it meets the needs of a growing industry.

The submission is a step towards creating better career pathways for people who have a passion for learning about beer, ensuring future brewers can be educated to the highest industry standard and bolstering success for the industry as a whole. Brewhouse and Kitchen, along with some of the other trailblazers will be presenting at BeerX in March to raise awareness of the new level 4 apprenticeship.

Kris Gumbrell said: “This is an important milestone for the trailblazer group and we are very pleased to bring this much-needed development in brewing education to the industry. We hope to see the standard and EPA be approved by the IFA in the next four to six weeks. The trailblazer team will then reconvene to work on ensuring its success in the industry.”

Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the BBPA, added: “The brewer apprenticeship has been developed by industry employers across all levels of production of the nation’s favourite alcoholic beverage. The apprenticeship will ensure the high standards of knowledge, skills and behaviours expected by industry employers are maintained, and if approved will provide an exciting, new educational route to bring the next generation of brewers into the industry.”