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Wine Industry Training Overview

There are a number of registered training providers who currently offer or are preparing to offer wine related training in Queensland.

Queensland College of Wine Tourism
Queensland's first specific wine training facility is currently being developed in Stanthorpe adjacent to the Stanthorpe State High School. This facility will over time provide training from entry to degree level for the Wine Tourism industry.

The centre will augment Stanthorpe State High School's existing infrastructure in the form of an established commercial vineyard and build on the established Wine Tourism training program currently offered to senior students.

Training delivery will be through a unique partnership of training providers including:

Stanthorpe State High School,
Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE
Australian Agricultural College Corporation - Dalby Campus
and the University of Southern Queensland

To date funding of $6 million has been spent on the facility.

The facility will incorporate a teaching winery, state of the art wine laboratory and research facility, cellar door with cafe and tourism training area, hospitality training kitchen, and multi-purpose teaching/seminar/restaurant area, plus the existing Banca Ridge vineyard.

The Wine Industry Division of the Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development is an active partner in the Project.

For additional information contact:
John Neville
College of Wine Tourism
PO Box 318, Stanthorpe QLD 4380
Phone: 07 4681 6333
Mobile: 0417 731 410
Email: johnnev@usq.edu.au

Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE
The Southern Queensland Institute of TAFE currently offers a traineeship program (Certificate II in Food Processing (Wine)) for the Queenslnad wine and grape industry.

There are specific streams within the course covering wine grape growing, cellar operations, cellar door sales, laboratory work and bottling/packaging.

TAFE also offers a range of short course programs specific to the wine industry.

Contact:
Catherine Thomas
College of Wine Tourism
Phone: 07 4681 6333
Mobile: 0426 642 573
Email: catherine.thomas@det.qld.gov.au

Gateway High School Project
There are currently seven high schools that are taking part in the Wine Gateway schools program. These schools offer a wine, vine, hospitality and tourism based curriculum for students interested in a career in these industries.

These schools include:

Stanthorpe State High School
Centenary High Toowoomba
Nudgee High - Brisbane
Sheldon College - Mt Cotton
Mt Tamborine High
Kingaroy High
Murgon High

For more information contact:
Tracie Warry
Gateway Schools Project
PO Box 318
Stanthorpe Qld 4380
Phone: 07 4681 6333
Mobile: 0437 932 586
Email: tracie.warry@eq.edu.au

University of Southern Queensland
The Bachelor of Wine Science program is offered jointly through the University of Southern Queensland and Charles Sturt University, and aims to develop knowledge and skills in wine making, wine science, viticulture and wine appraisal. Graduates will have a knowledge base and skills that will fit them for a career in wineries, production management, quality control, research and development in the wine, brewing and food processing industries.

Program Objectives
Upon completion, graduates from the Bachelor of Wine Science program will have the following knowledge and skills:

Knowledge

A firm science foundation that provides the principles and concepts required to understand grape and wine production.
An understanding of the wine production process, for all major wine types, including how wine production is influenced by demands of cost, quality and throughput.
Awareness of how scientific principles in the fields of biology, biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, microbiology and physics influence technical aspects of wine production.
Factors that have shaped the Australian wine indusry and its current direction of development.
An understanding at a biochemical and physiological level of how viticultural management influences grape quality.

Skills

An ability to inter-relate scientific concepts and principles to production processes so that production problems are quickly identified and new production situations and demands are successfully handled.
The practical skills to manage a winery and operate its equipment.
Sensory evaluation skills that permit identification of winemaking problems, rapid detection of faults, and reliable assessment of wine quality and characteristics.
An ability to understand, and communicate effectively with, technical vineyard staff.

Contacts:
Assoc Prof Robert Learmonth
Faculty of Sciences
University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba Qld 4350
Phone: 07 4631 2361
Fax: 07 4631 1530
Mobile: 0411 967 222
Email: learmont@usq.edu.au

Dr Bernadette McCabe
Wine Science Course Co-ordinator
University of Southern Queensland
Toowoomba Qld 4350
Phone: 07 4631 1623
Email: mccabe@usq.edu.au

Wine Skills Formation Officer (WSFO)
In mid 2005, the Queensland Wine Industry Association received funding for a Wine Industry Skills Formation Officer from the Department of Employment and Training.

The purpose of the WSFO is to support economic growth by encouraging the wine industry sector to understand the nature and use of skills labour, and the options open to the industry to ensure adequate availability of skills to support Queensland's advantage for growth in this sector. In short, this means industry understanding and better utilisation of the VET and University sectors, and optimising its own investment in training through leveraging off the public training funds available to the sector.

For more information, see Skills Formation Strategy (pdf 259KB)

Contact:
Heidi Bracko
Wine Industry Skills Formation Officer
PO Box 841
Toowoomba Qld 4350
Phone: 07 4637 6035
Mobile: 0413 337 740
Email: heidi.bracko@dtftwid.qld.gov.au

Last updated 21 May 2007.