NEU has become a pioneering university in barista training in Turkey.

Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU), which opened Turkey’s first barista workshop, aims to bring together coffee lovers and professionals, teaching students the art of coffee preparation in detail according to international standards and addressing the industry’s human resource needs.

Prof. Dr. Ceyhun Can Özcan, Head of the Department of Tourism Management at NEU, stated that the NEU Barista workshop was established in 2021 within the Faculty of Tourism. “Every year, between 60 and 90 students studying in the Tourism Management and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts departments graduate after receiving barista training from the NEU Barista workshop. At the same time, we also provide training to many individuals such as entrepreneurs, investors, and coffee enthusiasts in the sector through our university’s continuing education center, KONSEM. Since 2021, we have trained nearly 600 students under KONSEM. These students have the right to receive certificates in both Turkish and English,” he said.

“Our training is 100% job guaranteed”

Emphasizing the importance of practical learning alongside theoretical training, Özcan stated, “Our training curriculum is a synthesis of the Vocational Qualifications Authority and other coffee authorities, applying the hands-on learning technique. Our students acquire both the theoretical and practical applications of coffee here. Since our trainees hold internationally valid certificates, they can also use their certificates in countries like France, Australia, Austria, and Montenegro. All of our students who receive training at NEU Barista are employed. We specifically use the phrase ‘100% job guaranteed’ in our advertisements. This is because there is a significant demand for baristas in the sector, and all of our trainees who receive training can find jobs in the industry. Our barista training fees are quite reasonable compared to private sector training courses for trainees,” he said.

“NEU is the first university to establish a Barista Workshop”

Prof. Dr. Özcan continued: “There are 208 universities and more than 50 tourism faculties in Turkey. NEU is the first university to establish a barista workshop. There is no other tourism faculty outside our university that provides training in this framework. As the NEU Faculty of Tourism Barista Workshop, we continue our work by meeting the industry’s need for qualified baristas with the personnel we have trained.”

“In our courses, we provide training on all products and menu designs related to coffee”

Giving information about the workshop, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Cüneyt Şapcılar, Faculty Member of the Department of Tourism Management at NEU, said, “We established our workshop in 2019 within the scope of the KOP project. It is one of the coordinated projects of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, developed for employment, and it is a project that our university co-financed. Due to the pandemic experienced in 2019, we have been conducting barista training at the NEU Faculty of Tourism since 2021.”

Describing the content of barista training, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şapcılar stated, “The training content includes the theory of coffee and the hands-on learning method. Our training duration is at least 10 days. We have a 40-hour training program as prescribed by the Vocational Qualifications Authority. We first teach the trainees the theory and history of coffee. Then, we complete our program with training on the preparation of espresso-based products, milk-based products such as lattes and cappuccinos, and products related to third-wave, quality coffee that attracts more interest today. In the third wave, we show our trainees how to brew aeropress, chemex, siphon, and cold brew coffees here and have them practice. In our courses, not only students but also entrepreneurs looking to invest and provide employment in the sector can participate. We also provide consulting services as NEU Barista through our continuing education center. Today, we offer training on all kinds of products and menu designs related to coffee as NEU Barista.”