Initiative on training in the protection of minors

Schulungsinitiative Jugendschutz - SchuJu
Working Group on Alcohol and Responsibility / Bundesverband der Deutschen Spirituosen-Industrie und -Importeure e.V.
Germany
2007 > Ongoing
#AwarenessRaising #Offtrade #On-trade #StaffTraining

Objective

To ensure rigorous implementation of the Protection of Young Persons Act in the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages.

Description

Launched in 2007 by the BSI Working Group on Alcohol and Responsibility, the “Schulungsinitiative Jugendschutz” or “SchuJu” initiative (“Initiative on training in the protection of minors”) provides a comprehensive range of training measures to ensure rigorous implementation of the Protection of Young Persons Act in the sale and serving of alcoholic beverages. 

Employees in the retail sector, service stations, catering and online retailing are the front line of an effective system for the protection of minors. It is therefore crucial for staff in these sectors to be sensitised and trained on the topic when selling and serving alcoholic beverages. All measures in the initiative are directed at ensuring that staff always check the age of customers or guests when there is the slightest doubt that they are of legal age to purchase alcohol (16 years for beer, wine and sparkling wine, and 18 years for spirits and spirituous beverages). 

There are six main components to the initiative:

  1. Two online training courses (https://schuju-training.de):
    1. The 10–15-minute training module (WBT I) covers the main provisions of the Act in relation to the sale of alcohol. Practical examples show how employees can react correctly in difficult situations, for example when a guest/customer does not have proof of age with them and the age is not clearly visible.  Those who pass a final knowledge test receive a personal certificate for presentation to their employer.
    2. An extension module (WBT II), online since 1 June 2012, goes over the content of the first module with added practical examples. As with the first module, the extended module can be completed with a test.  
  2. Online training course for online store operators (https://onlinehandel-wbt.de): This training course is aimed at online retailers, developers and programmers. The training clearly presents the available options for reliable age verification systems the ordering and supply of alcoholic beverages.
  3. Website (https://www.schu-ju.de) The website was relaunched in 2022 to offer an even more user-friendly experience. The intuitive menu navigation allows the targeted employees to quickly access relevant information and tips for their industry.
  4. Training kits for live training.
  5. Leaflets for the retail, service station, restaurant and online retailing sectors.
  6. Other aids for everyday work: Such as age check discs which disk make it easier to verify that people are of legal age to buy alcoholic beverages and bar menus with an overview of the Act.  

With 28 partner associations, “SchuJu” is the largest nationwide youth protection initiative in terms of numbers. Partner associations from the retail, service station, catering and online retailing sectors work together to make the initiative an integral part of training. Many individual measures contribute to the success of the initiative, such as:  

  • The “fitfortrade” qualification programme (formerly “Grips&Co”), which is committed to promoting young trainees from the food trade. The initiator and sponsor is the RUNDSCHAU for the food trade with the support of the Federal Ministry of Economics and the German Retail Association. The leaflet for retailers is added to the “fitfortrade” brand trainer boxes.
  • The service station sector has implemented its annual action plan on protection of minors (“Aktionsplan Jugendschutz der Tankstellen-Branche”) since 2015. The training uses the “SchuJu” online training website.
  • Elements of the initiative form an important part of a guidance booklet, “Aktionsleitfaden des Handels zur Sicherung des Jugendschutzes” (Retail Industry Guidance to Secure the Protection of Minors), issued for many years by the German Retail Federation (HDE) in consultation with the Federal Drug Commissioner.
  • A joint position paper was developed with the German Association of Towns and Municipalities (DStGB) in 2018 (see).
  • The “SchuJu” initiative is also presented as a practical example on the “Jugendschutz aktiv” website promoting the protection of minors operated by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (here).

Partners

In the order in which they joined:

Results

  • October 2023: Around 270,000 participants have successfully completed the online training course and received a certificate since 2007.  Also in 2023, the leaflet for retailers was added to 10,000 “fitfortrade” brand trainer boxes.
  • November 2022: Around 222,000 participants have successfully completed the one training course and received a certificate since 2007.  A further 8,500 went the “extra mile” and completed the more extensive advanced course (WBT II). Over 45,000 certificates were awarded online and offline in 2021 and 2022.  Since its launch in 2019, WBT has provided over 6,800 users (with or without registration) with information on the protection of minors in the online retailing of spirits.
  • December 2021: 216,882 WBT I and 8,288 WBT II certificates have been awarded.  429 face-to-face training workshops with around 6,031 participants have taken place. 332,800 leaflets for retailers, catering establishments and service stations; 52,500 bar cards; 45,200 age control disks for cashiers and 3,200 badges have been printed.  The website has had 1.4 million users and 14.1 million page views (page views for www.schu-ju.de were unable to be reported for the period 01/2013 to 06/2014 due to a technical problem on the part of the provider).  49,812 views of the retail training video; 45,056 views of the bar training video and 54,306 views of the service station training video.  The videos have been well received by their target audience.  The Information for Retailing leaflet was distributed to retail trainees in print runs of 10,000 each in 2020 and 2021. It was also sent out with a magazine for retail trainees, “Grips&Co”.  

Measurement & evaluation

The online training provided as part of the ‘SchuJu’ initiative results in stricter age checking – as an evaluation towards the end of 2013 shows.

Catering, hotel, retailing and filling station staff who had successfully completed the online training were more alert to the protection of minors than colleagues who did not take the traini

The online training provided as part of the ‘SchuJu’ initiative results in stricter age checking – as an evaluation towards the end of 2013 shows.

Catering, hotel, retailing and service station staff who had successfully completed the online training were more alert to the protection of minors than colleagues who did not take the training and were more cautious in the sale of alcoholic beverages: Staff who have taken the training are significantly more likely to question that young customers are of legal age and – by their own account – are correspondingly more likely to ask to see identification.  

In the online survey, staff who had taken the training question a customer’s age on average 5.4 times a week, compared with only 2.1 times for staff in the control group.  The greater caution shown by those who had taken the training was likewise established statistically.  According to their survey responses, they asked significantly more frequently to see proof of age – on average 7.7 times a week, compared with 3.4 times for respondents without the “SchuJu” training (stated figures statistically significant at less than five percent margin of error).

Website

http://schu-ju.de

Downloads

Videos

Petrol Station
Retail
Catering

Photo gallery

Documents

Petrol Station leaflet (2021) (pdf - 0.44 Mo)
Retail leaflet (2021) (pdf - 0.58 Mo)
Catering leaflet (2016) (pdf - 1.3 Mo)
Online sales (2014) (pdf - 2.85 Mo)
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