Category: Alcohol Education Cards

Looking for a Job or Want to Post an Opening? Drop by TAM® of Nevada to View Our Job Posting Board

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We all know the economy is tough right now, and the job market is competitive. However, this year things are slowly starting to turn around, and we can all breathe a little easier. As we recently reporting in our blog post, “Las Vegas Job Market Shows Improvement for Hospitality Industry,” companies across Nevada are advertising new jobs, and there are some great opportunities are out there for job seekers.

In an effort to help connect TAM® Card Holders with Employers, we’ve put up a job posting board at our official training center on Paradise Road. When you come in for an alcohol awareness class or proctored exam, make sure you check out our job board near to the reception desk. We keep in touch with properties all over town and try to keep our students informed about any available positions for hospitality and service professionals. You may find a listing that would be a great fit for you. You’ll also find a second board near to our job board with recent news articles, information about local decoy operations, accident issues in Las Vegas, and other information that is relevant to hospitality professionals and TAM® students.

Are you a Manager or Owner with a job you’d like to advertise to our talented students? We’d be happy to post your listing, contact TAM of Nevada today and we’ll put your listing up in our center at no cost to you. You want to reduce risk of liability and make sure your staff is trained on how to properly serve and sell alcoholic beverages while providing excellent customer service. TAM® students receive the most robust and informative alcohol awareness training possible, and will be ready to work hard for your business!

Searching for a great position that you’ll enjoy and excel in can be a daunting process, but having the right tools to help you get started can greatly boost your chances of success. What tips would you give to job seekers for landing a great position?

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

Need a TAM® Card for the Busy Summer Season? A Rundown on Requirements

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

As a reminder to anyone selling or serving alcoholic beverages in Southern Nevada, you will need to obtain an alcohol awareness card if you haven’t already. Students often ask for a list of requirements and things to remember prior to taking a TAM® Class with us. Please use the following information as a “cheat sheet” of TAM Card requirements, and pass on to anyone you know who may benefit from this information.

  1. TAM® Cards are required for anyone selling or serving alcoholic beverages in Southern Nevada. This includes servers, bartenders, security professionals at establishments that sell alcoholic beverages, clerks at grocery and convenience stores who sell alcoholic beverage products, and more (Nevada Revised Statutes). Additionally, TAM Cards ARE required for anyone selling or serving alcoholic beverages for any length of time, including special one-time events. We often receive calls asking if TAM® Cards are needed for individuals who will be working to sell or serve alcoholic beverages for festivals, special weekend events, and similar situations. Even if you will only be working in this type of position for a short period of time, a TAM® Card is still mandatory.
  2. You must be 16 years of age or older to obtain a TAM Card. Read more about age requirements in our blog post, “TAM Cards for Teens.” Remember, you must be 21 years of age or older to serve or sell open alcoholic beverages, but teenagers and young adults who work as cashiers or clerks at grocery or convenience stores that sell sealed alcoholic beverages may need to obtain alcohol awareness training.
  3. You must present valid picture ID when attending a TAM® Class or sitting for a proctored exam. When you come to the TAM® Training Center for your TAM® Class, or to complete your exam if you took the online course, remember to bring a valid form of identification. Examples of valid ID include a driver license, passport, or state identification card. Please check the TAM® of Nevada website for a complete list of accepted forms of ID.
  4. Classroom training is NOT required; you can take your alcohol awareness course online. TAM® of Nevada offers classes both online or onsite. The choice is yours on which option fits best with your lifestyle and schedule. You’ll receive the same great training and a valid TAM® Card with either option.
  5. Online or in the classroom, plan on dedicating about 3 hours to your alcohol awareness training. State law requires that each student receives robust training following specific topics and curriculum, so plan to spend about three hours in your online or on-site training program followed by a short exam. Contrary to popular belief, there is no such thing as a “shorter” class for students who need to renew their alcohol education cards. State law mandates that students must complete the entire program every four years to remain in compliance.

Hopefully this clears up any questions about TAM Card requirements. Sign up for one of our classes at TAM of Nevada’s website. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

ID Scanners – Another Weapon to Combat Underage Drinking

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

Routine decoy operations are continuing across the state of Nevada from Reno to Henderson, and establishments and business owners are taking note. As we reported in a recent blog post, “The City of Reno Has Suspended Alcohol Licenses for Several Businesses for Selling Alcohol to Minors,” businesses and hospitality professionals should always remain alert and focused when selling or serving alcoholic beverages. Is your staff prepared to pass with flying colors if they are approached by undercover officers conducting an alcohol compliance check? With continued efforts across the state of Nevada to cut down on teenage drinking, alcohol sales professionals can count on a variety of tactics to ensure they are doing their best to make responsible alcohol sales.

The first defense for sales professionals is a thorough knowledge of local and state laws, and mandatory alcohol awareness training. Alcohol awareness training from TAM of Nevada will teach you how to spot fake, altered and borrowed identification, which is popular with teen drinkers. Also remember that TAM® Cards expire after four years, contact TAM® of Nevada if you need to renew your training. Officials may ask to see your alcohol awareness card during an alcohol compliance check.

Some companies, such as 7-11, are also implementing additional procedures to ensure they are making safe and legal alcoholic beverage sales. As reported by KRNV Reno, 7-11 recently installed ID scanners at all of their store locations across Nevada (KRNV Reno). Hopefully, additional safeguards such as ID scanners will deter teens from attempting to purchase alcoholic beverages altogether. ID scanners can be helpful in determining whether an ID is the real deal, and some can also quickly do the math for determining the age of the person represented by the ID. Remember, anyone selling or serving alcoholic beverages needs to confirm that the person represented by the ID is in fact the person standing in front of them. 7-11 notes that their staff is not relying on scanners alone. Staff members continue to follow company procedure in using the skills garnered during alcohol awareness training to ensure that customers are using legitimate identification that belongs to them. For more information about ID scanners, check out our blog post, “ID Scanners – Friend or Foe?”

What are your experiences regarding the use of ID scanners?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada

A Reminder about Responsible Beverage Service

Published on by TAM of Nevada1 Comment

The City of Reno Has Suspended Alcohol Licenses for Several Businesses for Selling Alcohol to Minors.

In an effort to stop the sale of alcohol to minors in the Reno area, the City of Reno and the Reno Police Department have worked together to suspend liquor licenses for sixteen area businesses after conducting compliance checks and decoy operations (KTNV). The Reno Police Department’s Street Enforcement Team routinely conducts decoy operations and checks for alcohol awareness cards, and these suspensions are an extension of the work they are doing to protect local teens, and the rest of the community. These events should serve as a reminder to hospitality professionals and service workers that it is imperative to always check identification when serving or selling alcoholic beverages. Discussion with some of our TAM® Students about this news has resulted in some great reminders that we’d like to pass on to others regarding ID checking.

  • Become TAM® certified and make sure that your alcohol awareness training is up to date. TAM® will train you on how to correctly check identification and how to spot fake, borrowed, or altered ID. Also remember that TAM® Cards expire after four years, contact TAM® of Nevada if you need to renew your training. Officials may ask to see your alcohol awareness card during an alcohol compliance check.
  • Check ID closely – When checking the birth date of a customer, don’t rely only on the birth year to confirm someone is of legal drinking age. Also check the birth day and month on a license to guarantee you are serving legally! Minors may try to pull a fast one on busy or distracted service workers by purchasing alcohol just short of their 21st birthdays. For more tips on ID checking, visit our blog post, “Are Minors Using Fake IDs and Sneaking Past You?”
  • A hole punched into a driver license renders it invalid for identification purposes. As explained by a representative at the DMV Office, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles may hole-punch driver licenses and identification cards in order to make them easily identifiable as invalidated. This can occur when someone renews their license, transfers an out-of-state license, or a variety of other scenarios. The DMV will mail the new license to the individual within 10 working days, so this is just a temporary situation for license holders. When an identification card is invalidated at the time of license renewal, the DMV will issue a temporary paper document with information matching the punched-out driver license. Please note, the interim document for a driver license or an ID card only serves as a confirmation that the application is pending; it is not a form of identification (Nevada DMV). Check with your employer for company policy on acceptable ID policy. Each business must decide if the interim document, along with an invalidated driver license or ID card, will be accepted for cashing checks, buying liquor, and other transactions (Nevada DMV). In cases such as this, establishments may wish to err on the side of caution and request another form of valid identification such as a passport or military ID.

What are some tricks that you’ve seen used by fake ID holders? How else do you think service workers can help curb teen drinking?

Resources

© 2012 National Hospitality Institute®, TAM® of Nevada