Education in Cape Town

Cape Institute for Agricultural training (Elsenburg)

Formally owned by the Cape Colony Governor Willem Adrian Van der Stel, the Elsenburg farm was sold to the Government in 1889, when it became an Agricultural College. The University of Stellenbosch and Elsenburg used to run concurrent agricultural training until 11973 when the relationship between both institutions was severed, and the department of Agriculture accepted responsibility for agricultural training at Elsenburg. In 1976 the Diploma in cellar technology was created, resulting in 80% of the country’s current winemakers being trained at Elsenburg.

In1994, with the transformation to a democratic political order in South Africa, the department of Agriculture: Western Cape was created. The Eslenburg and Kromme Rhee Agriculture Colleges amalgamated and the training offered at Elsenburg was enhanced through the creation of a centre for Further Education and Training to address the need for short, practical courses targeting farm workers and emerging farmers.

The relationship with the Stellenbosch University was recently re-established, which translated in the provision of a B-Agric degree run concurrently with the Stellenbosch’s Faculty for Agriculture and Forestry. On 1 June 2004 the Eslenburg College was renamed the Cape Institute for Agricultural training.

Cape Technikon

Cape Wine Academy

The Cape Wine Academy is an independent, Theta registered, educational and training body, officially recognized by the wine industry since 1979. With offices in Johannesburg, Stellenbosch and Durban, the Academy offer its services throughout South Africa.

The Cape Wine Academy offers the following ranges of services in education and training: Introduction to South African Wine (level 1); Certificate (Level 2); Wines of the World (level 2); Diploma (Level 3); Cape Wine Master (Level 4); Front of house courses; Wine service; Wine retailing; Cape wine advisor and sommelier; Brandy; Basic wine making; Winelands Seminars; UK WSET courses.

South African Agri-Academy

South African school for Professional Service training

Stellenbosch University

The Department of Viticulture and Oenology is part of the Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences at Stellenbosch University offers the following training: Undergraduate study in Viticulture (Bsc Agric) ; undergraduate study in oenology (Bsc Agric); HonsBScAgric, HonsBSc, MScAgric;PhD and PhD (Agric); degrees in Viticulture, Oenology, Wine Biotechnology and Grapevine Biotechnology

University of Stellenbosch Business School

The University of Stellenbosch Business School offers a Programme in Wine management to middle and senior level managers working in the wine industry or any area which supports the wine industry.

The overall aim of this programme is to help participants achieve and sustain trendsetting performance through a keen understanding of the variables that affect company performance and enhance shareholder value creation. Specific objectives of the programme are to improve significantly participants’ managerial capabilities, enhance participants’ understanding of the strategy-creation process, develop participants’ business skills, and enhance participants’ capacity for personal change and implementation of change. The programme will be presented in modules over a period of 30 days.

Wine Training south Africa

• SKOP 1 - Introductory short course (2 days)
• SKOP 2 - Intermediate short course (2 days)
• SKOP 3 - Advanced Modular part-time course - (12 months)
• SKOP 1 (SPES) - Introductory short course mainly for Cellar Door staff, marketers, PA's etc. (2 days)
• SKOP 2 (SPES) - Intermediate short course also for Cellar Door staff, marketers, PA's (etc)

Contact: Emma Burger
Phone:  +2782 8513164, +2721 8872068
Email: skop@ekovsa.com

During 1988, a few Cellar Technology Old Boys had the vision to initiate Wine Industry training for Cellar Workers in Wine Cellars. The SKOP-project, (Afrikaans for Senior Cellar Staff Training Program) was managed part-time by very busy Winemakers until 2003. From 1999 to 2002 Cape Wine Academy managed the program on behalf of EKOV. After Distell sold off the Cape Wine Academy, EKOV decided to terminate this arrangement and appointed Emma Burger to manage the Programme on a freelance basis. At the time an Introductory and Intermediate Course (SKOP 1 and SKOP 2) were offered mainly to cellar hands.

Currently EKOV offers a portfolio of 6 courses: SKOP 1 - Introductory short course (2 days); SKOP 2 - Intermediate short course (2 days); SKOP 3 - Advanced Modular part-time course - (12 months); SKOP 1 (SPES) - Introductory short course mainly for Cellar Door staff, marketers, PA's etc. (2 days); SKOP 2 (SPES) - Intermediate short course also for Cellar Door staff, marketers, PA's (etc)

Wine Training SA was officially registered as a section 21 company early in 2005.

The mission of WTSA is to remain informed of the training needs of all workers in wine cellars and to develop course material with which to train these people to a level where they can continue with tertiary education.

Vineyard Academy

The Vineyard Academy, registered as a Section 21 company not for gain, was formed in 2004 (2001) as a joint venture between Afrika Vineyards farming operations (a subsidiary of the brands division of Spier's Winecorp) and DEVCO (a Section 21 company of the SA Wine Industry Trust) to facilitate and co-ordinate a structured approach to provide accredited technical and life skills training to vineyard workers in the Cape Winelands.

The Vineyard Academy will ensure that training provided is within the framework laid down by SAQA (South African Qualification Authority). At this stage the Vineyard Academy is registered with the Primary Agriculture Education and Training Authority (PAETA) as an accredited service provider and aims to become the standard bearer of vineyard worker training in the wine industry.

The training is structured within the national qualification framework and focuses on technical aspects in viticulture (e.g. physiology of the vine, establishing a vineyard, trellising, pruning, canopy management, irrigation, vine nutrition and fertilisation, harvesting etc.) as well as Life Skills (literacy and numeracy and basic business skills). Training is in the form of short courses, skills developments Programmes and learnership Programmes (e.g. the qualification in Plant production at NQF 1,2, & 4).