SCA Barista Skills Professional Course

Take the final step in the SCA Barista Skills pathway and develop the advanced technical, sensory and leadership skills required to drive quality across a coffee business.

Designed for experienced baristas, head baristas, supervisors and managers, this three-day course moves beyond making consistently excellent drinks. You’ll explore how to analyse and improve espresso recipes, diagnose quality issues, manage efficient bar workflows and support others to perform at their best.

The course combines advanced coffee science with practical application in a fast-paced commercial environment - helping you connect what happens behind the bar with customer experience, team development and business performance.

Who is this course for?

This course is suitable for experienced coffee professionals who are responsible for maintaining standards, solving problems and developing others.

You must already hold the SCA Barista Skills Intermediate qualification before attending.

What will you learn?

Across the course, you’ll develop your knowledge and practical skills in:

• Advanced espresso extraction and recipe development

• Measuring and evaluating extraction

• Understanding water and its impact on coffee

• Sensory analysis and identifying quality issues

• Coffee blending and flavour balance

• Advanced milk preparation and latte art

• Bar design, workflow and speed of service

• Creating and maintaining quality-control systems

• Diagnosing equipment and extraction problems

• Training, coaching and assessing other baristas

• Managing waste, costs and commercial performance

• Leading a bar team under pressure

By the end of the course, you’ll be better equipped to make informed technical decisions, communicate those decisions clearly and build more consistent standards across your team.

Course structure

This is a three-day, classroom-based course delivered at the North Star Coffee Hub in Leeds.

Across the three days, you’ll combine theory with practical exercises, individual coaching and assessment. The course includes both written and practical assessments. To receive the SCA Barista Skills Professional qualification, learners must successfully complete all required assessments.

What’s included?

• Three days of classroom-based tuition with an Authorised SCA Trainer

• SCA course workbook and learning materials

• Written and practical assessments

• SCA certification upon successful completion

• Lunch on all three training days

• Plenty of coffee

• A North Star tote bag and coffee to take home

Your trainer

The course is delivered by Bee Southworth, North Star’s Coffee Partnerships & Training Manager and an Authorised SCA Trainer.

Bee has more than 16 years of experience across coffee retail, barista training, commercial partnerships and specialty-coffee education. Her teaching brings together detailed technical knowledge with the practical realities of running busy, people-focused hospitality businesses.

Course details

Duration: Three classroom-based days
Location: North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock
Class size: Maximum four learners
Prerequisite: SCA Barista Skills Intermediate

With just four spaces available, the course offers plenty of individual coaching, practical application and time to explore the challenges you face in your own workplace.

Price: £715 including VAT, SCA fees and lunches
Date: 9th–11th November 2026 (three-day course)
Time: 9:30am–4:30pm each day
Where: North Star Coffee Hub, Leeds Dock