When someone plans to work in the licensed trade, two key considerations arise repeatedly: the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders and the Premises Licence application. Though they have quite different functions, both are important. A clear understanding of how each component functions enables people to take the appropriate next steps, whether they wish to manage a pub, work behind a bar, or open a new venue. Inn Confidence provides training and support in this area.

What the BIIAB Level 2 Award covers

The BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence  Holders is a training qualification. It targets the people who have to learn about the law of licensing and their responsibilities when selling alcohol. The local authorities require applicants for a personal licence to possess a suitable qualification, and this award is one of the established ones.

It discusses the legal duties, age, and how irresponsible sales are addressed, as well as the fundamental goals of licensing, including crime and disorder prevention, the safety of the population, preventing public nuisance, and safeguarding children. At the end of the learning, learners take a brief test to demonstrate that they grasp the material.

The award is not associated with a building, but with a person. The course will be a prerequisite for applying to the local council to obtain a personal licence. The qualification is necessary for employees who intend to undertake greater responsibility or for anyone who wants to enhance their employability in the hospitality industry.

The purpose of the Premises Licence.

A Premises Licence is an authorisation of a particular venue to dispose of or provide alcohol, controlled entertainment, or serve late-night refreshment. It is a licence of a venue and not a licence of a person.

In the application for a premises licence, the applicant will be required to outline how the venue will operate and how it will achieve the licensing objectives. The application will have an operating schedule that outlines the hours, the measures to be followed by the venue to ensure people’s safety, and identifies the Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS). It also has a public procedure: notices should be posted, and consultations with the responsible authorities should be done. The council can have a hearing in the event of objections.

Without this licence, a premises cannot legally sell alcohol; therefore, it takes centre stage in the operations of any business that plans to serve drinks to clients.

The key distinctions are described in simple words.

The BIIAB Level 2 AwardBIIAB Level 2 Award is education for an individual, while the Premises Licence gives authority to a premise. The competition makes one realise that they are familiar with the law and their duties. The premises licence demonstrates how a venue shall conduct itself responsibly and be available to the masses.

It is an exam-based award that is given by an awarding body. It allows one to apply for a personal licence. The local licensing authority issues the premises licence and addresses the way the business will secure the population and comply with the legal requirements in the venue.

One of them concerns knowledge and qualification; the other one concerns the operation of the business and its legal right to trade.

How they fit together

They are separate but linked. A company requires a Premises Licence to sell alcohol. The licence should identify a DPS that has a personal licence, and to receive a personal licence, the individual is usually required to have the BIIAB Level 2 Award. Legal trading, therefore, needs a venue and a qualified person.

Most people receive the award initially because it will accompany them, regardless of the job or location that they transfer to. The premises licence is specific to a particular address and will remain with that location even in cases of staff turnover.

With the knowledge of the distinction between the biiab level 2 award for personal licence holders  and the Premises licence application, licensing becomes much easier to manage. The award makes individuals ready to take up legal obligations, whereas the premises licence is the document that a venue requires to act within the law. They both have a role to play to ensure that licensed premises are safe and legal.