In May 2017, Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) inked a Memorandum of Understanding with Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Association of Bartenders and Sommeliers (ABSS) to develop deep competencies and help raise the professionalism of students and adult learners within the F&B industry.

One of the key deliverables of this collaboration was to set up a beverage lab in NYP to provide beverage training and research opportunities for students, adult learners, academia and the industry. NYP, ABSS and e2i jointly engaged the industry to develop NYP as a Centre of Innovation in beverage training. This included developing industry partnerships to provide vocational expertise and feedback towards the set-up of the training facillity in NYP, as well as the joint development and building of the course curriculum to ensure its relevance and smooth delivery.

School of Coffee, supported by Kaffee Kultur, is an example of industry partners coming together for this collaboration. The homegrown artisanal coffee roasting company aims to educate individuals who are curious about coffee through gourmet coffee appreciation workshops and coffee barista classes. It therefore lent its expertise in customising proprietary coffee blends to the project.

On 8 June 2018, the brand-new NYP beverage training lab named The Liquid Room was officially launched. A dedicated space to nurture the mixologists, tea and wine sommeliers, and baristas of tomorrow, The Liquid Room provides much-needed facilities for learners to develop their interest in F&B and cultivate their spirit of life-long learning.

In recognition of this initiative, the e2i Industry Partnership Award 2018 is awarded to NYP, ABSS and School of Coffee in recognition of their commitment to training and developing Singapore’s talents and workforce.