I doubt they'll be publishing a list of grads, although I could foresee some
testimonials from some of the participants down the line.
The idea of BAR is to create an accreditation/credential benchmark the same
way that the wine industry has promoted the Master Sommelier or Master of Wine
credential. (Interstingly, Doug Frost, one of the instructors, is one of the
very few who has both an MS and MW). Therefore, I doubt there will be much,
if any "job placement" energy expended for graduates.
Moreover, the cost of the course is pretty steep--3K for tuition and if your
coming from away, you're ponying up for room, board and lost income from your
regular gig. Which is why I suspect that some, if not most attendees are
being sponsored by their employer in exchange for some contractual commitment.
(I was offered something like this last year by my current employer.)
Corporate sponsors are also given a certain number of scholarship slots
depending on their level of donation. I suppose they will use them in lieu of
advanced in-house training, or dole them out to accounts as incentives. In
other words, most every student has a gig that they are now more deeply
indebted and/or attached to, and won't be looking for alternatives.
Could you ask for and receive a list from BAR? Possibly. But at this early
juncture, I would bet that you may be one of the first to try to cull from
this database, and dealing with such requests hasn't even been considered, nor
is there any mechanism to do so; ie. there isn't an opt-out or release form in
the application materials, so BAR may feel bound to protect participant's
identities. And they should.
The fact that we're even having this conversation tells me that you have
crossed (or have at least one foot in) the Rubicon.
Perhaps we have much, much more to talk about.....
myers
spamola[at]maine.rr.com