On-line Training

These troubling times have encouraged many to find ways to support our businesses and employees by thinking outside the box and out of our comfort zone. We are all looking for ways to cut costs, stay afloat and hold on to our employees. My own fledgling business is no different and ,like you, I am concerned about what the coming months might bring.

It’s important to support ourselves and our employees, by finding ways to bring some routine into our lives and help us to feel valued. But also, to try to adapt to the new way of operating and find ways of carrying out our business in the new Post-Covid world.

As a remote business, usually travelling to my clients in far-flung parts of Scotland, it seemed logical to adapt by offering on-line training from the comfort of my home to yours. Not only does it satisfy the requirements of social distancing but also is by removing the need to travel, my business has become greener and leaner! The benefits of on-line training for your business are the links back to the workplace, benefitting both the business and employee, honing and learning new skills whilst unable to work, lower costs of the courses and less time away from the business.

Remote-based learning, done correctly, can be an excellent training tool which is accessible, flexible and is a way of re-establishing social interaction. There can be obstacles such as the quality of internet connection, technical knowledge and access to suitable equipment, however, I’ve found that by being flexible and understanding, most of these difficulties can easily be overcome.

Online training can be highly effective, particularly if kept to short bursts of learning. I try to keep sessions short with adequate breaks. Studies have also shown learners are five times more likely to absorb and retain information through online learning. Also regular testing halves learner distraction and improves overall retention.

We offer on-line training for:-
SCPLH Personal Licence training
World Host Principals of Customer Service
WorldHost 2020 – Covid19 Business Readiness Solutions

Contact NorthStar today to enquire about your On-Line training

Financial Assistance for Hospitality staff in Scotland

Financial Help for Hospitality workers
Covid-19 financial assistance for Hospitality Workers

News from the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA)






A new relief fund opened yesterday for bar and restaurant staff who have lost their job and/or income as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This fund is administered by Scottish drinks industry charity, The Ben





Applicants will be subject to one of the following two situations:

Redundant and not furloughed

On a zero hours contract and worked limited hours in recent months

In order to apply for assistance, the applicant must have been employed in the drinks industry for a minimum period of 2 years.

The assistance provided will be at a fixed rate of £250 and it will be made as a single payment to the recipient’s bank account.

A high level of demand is anticipated and it is possible that the funds may be exhausted before all applications are dealt with.

Therefore, the window for applications is from 9.00 a.m. Monday 6th April to 7.00 p.m. Friday 10th April 2020 or once 10,000 applications have been received, whichever comes first.

Register now by clicking The Drinks Trust

Corona Virus Update

We are certainly living in difficult times which must be causing everyone one of us a huge amount of stress, especially coping with all the new rules and laws which are being issued. I wanted to reach out to all past and future customers to say that I hope you are all keeping well and safe and also to offer some links to information which I hope you will find useful.

The link below, issued by the British Institute of Innkeeping, who accredit the SCPLH exams, is an informative document allowing you to reference key employment issues, whether a small business or self-employed.

BII INNFocus Corona Virus Update

The link below takes you to an update from the Scottish Tourism Alliance, who have been working hard on our behalf to press the Scottish Government for more support for Hospitality. An important note is that self-catering businesses will now be included in the package to assist hospitality businesses.

STA Update

For anyone who was hoping to complete an SCPLH or Refresher in the coming weeks, I understand that the BII are trying to make their exams workable on-line and I am happy to try this once it is available. I hope to be in a position to present via Zoom if this happens and I will keep you updated.

I am sure that once our isolation is over and the World slowly starts to return to normality, people will need a holiday. Hopefully they will prefer to stay within the UK and we will find ourselves in a much better position.

Keep your spirits up, keep strong and see you on the other side!

New Alcohol Licence Workshop Dates – Oban, Argyll

Scottish Certificate for Personal License Holders (SCPLH) – new workshop dates released. Our full day Personal License training workshops & exams will be held at The Lancaster Hotel, Oban

SCPLH Personal Licence
Personal Licence Workshop Oban

We will also travel to any location within the Argyll & Bute, Highlands and Western Isles Council regions. We will deliver either in your business or in a central location. Please contact us if you wish to enquire about availability of courses in your area.

Full day SCPLH Personal License workshop & exam – £150
Half day SCPLHR Refresher workshop & exam – £85

Quoted price includes workshops, exam and refreshments, plus after course support.

We like to keep our courses relatively select to ensure that training is personal and effective. Book now to avoid disappointment

Don’t Risk losing your Personal Licence…

If your personal licence was issued on or before 1st September 2009, its important that you take note and act now!

When you were issued with your Personal Licence, you were advised of certain responsibilities, which include completing refresher training every five years and applying to renew your licence every ten years.

All Personal Licences which came into effect on 1st September 2009 will expire on 31st August 2019.

This means that it’s time to complete your refresher training and then submit your renewal application. The window for applying to renew a Scottish Personal Licence has already opened and closes on the 31st May 2019. However, as there will be a huge influx of applications, its better to apply for your training sooner rather than later.

Failure to do so could mean you risk losing your licence! BOOK NOW

NorthStar Consultancy offers training workshops in Oban on a regular basis and is able to deliver workshops throughout the Highlands & Islands. View our upcoming courses, HERE

Current advice on the Argyll & Bute Website states:-

“A personal licence has a currency of 10 years and must be renewed prior to the 10th anniversary of issue by a licensing board.

In addition, Section 87 of The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 requires that prior to the 5th anniversary of issue, and every 5 years thereafter, the licence holder must undergo mandatory refresher training, where a refresher training certificate will be issued on successful completion of the training course. Failure to undergo this training in the appropriate timescale and failure to update the licensing board within 3 months of the training will result in the licence being automatically revoked.

A check of the front of the personal licence will show the expiry date of the licence (e.g. 01/09/2019). Simply count back five years from this date and this is the date when the refresher training must be completed by.”