NABCA Awards
Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery
Division of Liquor Control
Education Award $10,000
Focus Area Education | Awareness, Regulatory | Enforcement
Award Year
2021-2022
Just Ask For ID
The Ask for ID campaign sought to bolster proper carding techniques and practices by encouraging employees of businesses that hold liquor licenses to sign an online pledge form that delineated the specific criteria for checking IDs. People who signed the pledge were then entered into a sweepstakes where they could win a range of gift cards, from $50 to $500. DLL raised awareness for this initiative through postcard mailing, email blasts, press releases, social media posts, posters, and in-person visits. The pledge received 959 signatures, surpassing the goal of 750. The initiative also provided DLL with valuable data to identify and follow up with businesses who did not participate, which could help direct outreach efforts in the future.
Youth Alcohol Education Quiz and Sweepstakes
Educating young people about the risks of underage drinking can help discourage dangerous habits. The Youth Alcohol Education Quiz initiative featured a popular “BuzzFeed” style graphic quiz targeted at young people ages 13-19 and their parents. This quiz educated audiences about the dangers and consequences of underage drinking. Individuals who completed the quiz were entered into a sweepstakes to win one of 20 $100 VISA gift cards.
Supplemental Award $50,000
Focus Area Education | Awareness, Capacity Building | Collaboration
Award Year
2019-2020
Education Program Assessment
The Vermont Department of Liquor and Lottery Division of Liquor Control (DLC) used its award to hire an independent consultant to evaluate the DLC’s educational content, including an assessment of the current delivery methods of trainings. The consultant, Ellipse Systems, LLC, produced an in-depth, 78-page report that included specific recommendations on ways that DLC could improve its educational services.
As part of the review, the consultant reviewed all the existing materials for DLCs in-house training program, instructor-led training programs, DLC-produced eLearning courses, and approved third-party eLearning courses. The consultant also interviewed a selection of 29 licensees and their employees and reviewed training and education programs from other control jurisdictions to identify best practices.
One interesting finding from the interviews was that while most businesses valued in-person training, they found that attending them proved challenging for employees. For example, the in-person classes might not be held in a convenient location, and employees might not have reliable transportation. Licensees, therefore, relied heavily on online classes, even before the COVID-19 pandemic.
But interviewees also noted the value of in-person classes. In-person instructors can share real-life experiences with the trainees, which the licensees identified as particularly useful to their employees. The consultant recommended finding ways to weave storytelling and sharing of real-life experiences more consistently across both in-person and online classes. It was suggested that this could be accomplished through short videos that demonstrate scenarios from real interactions and illustrate specific regulations, while also building empathy for customers and the community.
Another key finding from both the interviews and the review of other control jurisdiction materials was the importance of relationships. In Vermont, licensees described positive relationships with their compliance officers and the DLC, which made them see the training in a more positive light. Other control jurisdictions like Montana, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Utah effectively leveraged their relationships with third-party training organizations to deliver programming to more people across a large geographic area.
The recommendations in the report offer both short-term and long-term strategies to improve education services. DLC has already implemented many of the recommendations and has plans to implement many more soon.