The course: Cellar Procedures Statement of Attainment 6647. This is a short, commercially run course (delivered over approximately 18 hours) currently offered at TAFE NSW, Ryde College. Other similar courses may also be running at TAFE NSW campuses, including courses that can be studied off campus.

The cost: $175.

Prerequisites: Must be 18 years old or over as required by the NSW Liquor Act.

Aim: This course teaches you practical cellar control and operation skills. You will learn about stock handling, the use and maintenance of refrigeration equipment and dispensing systems for bulk beer, wine, spirits and post-mix.

You will gain hands-on experience working with the latest systems, as well as important theory and OH&S components of the industry.

The teacher: Starting his career as a barman in the mid '70s, Emmanuel Gabriel worked his way to head cellarman at the Sydney Hilton.

"I started in a small suburban hotel in 1976 and began to learn cellar skills. I moved to the Hilton as a bartender and cellarman, and then took up a hotel management traineeship with them, progressing to bar manager."

Along the way Emmanuel, 45, took a number of TAFE NSW courses so that he could stay up-to-date, including a course at TAFE NSW, Ryde College where he is a full-time teacher and the cellar coordinator.

The move into teaching was inspired by the enjoyment he got from training staff in his role at the Hilton.

He has since maintained industry links while committing to teaching- he has a diploma in teaching and a bachelor degree in batch in education.

He says people take the Cellar Procedures course for a variety of reasons: "We get experienced hospitality workers who want formal recognition, and novices and who want a start in the industry. We have bartenders who want to add another string to their bow, and also supervisors who need to understand what happens in the cellar."

With the many advances in technology and OH&S regulations in the industry over the last five years, Emmanuel says it's important to stay up-to-date.

"The cellar at Ryde is very advanced. We have all the modern equipment available.

Industry partnerships and links are also maintained, and training is focussed on hands-on skills.

"Each student has equipment to work with. They work with manifolds of beer , connecting kegs and beer lines."

The focus of the course is the bulk of the industry's business - tap beer - although post-mix, bulk wine and spirit s are also covered.

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