The Barista Training Programme is one of the initiatives being pursued by The Hope Exchange to provide homeless individuals with skills training in an in-demand industry to facilitate personal growth as well as holistic social care with the aim to support a pathway out of homelessness. Trainees in the programme will be taught relevant financial, individual, and interpersonal skills to enable their future success on their own, with personal mentors appointed to each trainee to work as a friend and a teacher during their transition off the streets. The Hope Exchange is aiming for the next round of trainees to graduate from the programme in the latter half of 2025.
The Barista Training Programme
During the Barista Training Programme, trainees will go through job readiness training run by Work 4 A Living (W4AL) before learning relevant technical skills at Redband Barista Training Academy. Afterwards, trainees will intern at Gangstar Café for a business week before moving to a local café for another two weeks, before graduating from the programme.
W4AL
Each trainee of the Barista Training Programme goes through a 13–day Job Readiness Programme at W4AL. Upon completion, they receive either a 2e or 3e job readiness certificate.
Days 1-2: Job Readiness
Day 3: Business 4 a Living
Day 4-6: Work Ethics
Day 7-8: Financial Literacy
Day 9-10: World View
Day 11: Ethics and Values
Day 12: The World of Work
Day 13: Service
RedBand
The training from RedBand covers a wide range of topics, ranging from the history of coffee, roast science, coffee vocabulary, workspace management, brewing methods, and general serving skills. Trainees are taught how to have the proper etiquette and demeanor for a professional and successful career in the coffee industry.
2-week Internship
There is more to being a barista than simply operating a machine. A good barista is not only good with coffee, but they are also skilled in their interactions with customers and operate as a member of a team. To help each trainee attain a better grasp of these soft skills, they must each complete a two-week internship with members of local industry. Throughout the process of this internship, each barista will be visiting THE to ensure that they are well fed and in the proper headspace to work as a barista every day. This two-week internship will serve as a last step before graduates are able to go out and enter the workforce themselves.
Mentorship
To aid in the struggles graduates may face during their transition back into normal life, The Hope Exchange is working to establish a system of mentors to act as teachers and friends to graduates. Mentors will guide new baristas through the many struggles that they encounter in their day-to-day life, whether it be by offering emotional support on a bad day or aiding graduates with their financial planning.
How you can participate
Anything helps. If you are a small business that would be willing to have graduates work at your establishment temporarily or permanently, please reach out to us. Let us know if you have any interest in acting as a mentor or a sponsor for programme graduates. We will make every effort to accommodate any requests you may have about employing graduates or acting as a mentor.
Questions about working with The Hope Exchange: peter@thehopeexchange.org
Questions about the Barista Training Programme: Charity@thehopeexchange.org
Personal Stories
Fanda Brothers
Two individuals whose life has changed from The Barista Training Programme are the brothers, Prince and Esperance Fanda. They are both immigrants, originally living in the DRC, but moved to Durban, South Africa in 2009 before eventually moving to Cape Town in search of better opportunities. Once in Cape Town, they learned about The Hope Exchange and The Barista Training Programme and sought to join. Upon admission into the programme, both brothers exceled in their training. Once they graduated, both brothers used their skills from The Barista Training Programme to start working at Sabria’s, a restaurant in the Western Cape. Esperance Fanda credits the skills he learned from The Barista Training Programme as the reason he was able to find success in gaining stable employment.
Shaheid
Growing up in the Cape Flats, Shaheid Johannes did not have the support necessary to live a stable childhood. After his adoptive guardian passed away, he moved to Cape Town in hopes of finding a better life. Shaheid worked at Streetscapes for 2 years before hearing about The Barista Training Programme and enrolling in 2023. When talking about the programme, Shaheid said, “The moment I heard I’m going to start the coffee course, I got excited. All my problems just went away.” After graduation, Shaheid was able to work at Heaven Coffee, an affiliated business of The Hope Exchange, to learn additional skills as a barista while looking for a full-time position. Shaheid then secured a full–time position working at Swan Café.