Pacific Northwest Wine Education Collaborative

Yakima Valley College took the lead to collaborate on a one-of-a-kind opportunity for students across Washington. The Pacific Northwest Wine Education Collaborative grant funded by the National Science Foundation, Advanced Technological Education partners YVC with South Seattle College and Wenatchee Valley College to provide new online educational opportunities to meet industry growth in the areas of viticulture, enology, wine marketing and sales.

A Washington needs assessment conducted in 2014 estimated, that through 2018, a shortage of technically-trained employees in the areas of Viticulture (grape growing), Enology (winemaking), and Wine Marketing/Sales. This project formed the basis of a collaboration between three Washington State community colleges (Yakima Valley College, South Seattle College, and Wenatchee Valley College), to jointly develop and implement comprehensive technician level training in Viticulture and Enology, delivered online, statewide. The collaboration addressed the needs of the Washington grape and wine industry without creating duplicative programs at the three colleges.

The project developed best practices in curriculum design, professional development, technical- and science-based training. The collaborating colleges shared resources and developed new online and hybrid curricula for Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Vineyard Technology and Winery Technology while maintaining practical hands-on training. This project increased the number of employable graduates of wine industry education and training programs across the State of Washington by providing hybrid curricula for Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees in Vineyard Technology and Winery Technology at three community colleges in Washington.

New Certificates Developed

The curricula developed include certificates in Wine Business Entrepreneurship (South Seattle College) and Viticulture Sustainability (Wenatchee Valley College) that advance business and entrepreneurial skills for students, and can be taken from a registered student at any of the three colleges within the collaboration. This project increases partnerships with industry representatives to develop work-based educational experiences for students. The colleges are developing articulation agreements creating pathways from high school through baccalaureate programs.

The underlying project mission was to create science-, technology-, and mathematics-rich training opportunities for current employees in the wine grape industry. A DACUM process was used to address workplace competencies for the two new certificates in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability. Additionally, ongoing efforts are being formalized, in career pathways, for students in articulated high school courses to move into technical certificate, Associate degree, and Bachelor’s degree programs. The college partners are working with the Washington wine industry to provide practicum sites for hands-on-learning activities, not obtainable on some of the college campuses, as well as increased internship and work experience opportunities, which further strengthen graduates’ competencies in the discipline.