Which is exactly what Emma Burger and her team are doing at Wine Training SA.
WTSA is a Non-Profit organisation that offers an extensive training programme to cellar workers in the South African Wine industry and on Thursday last week (4thJune ), 78 certificates were handed out – 51 for SKOP 3 and the rest for Junior Cellar Management Courses to the latest set of students. There are 3 levels of SKOP - and this year saw the 10th anniversary of certificates being awarded, with the marks of the graduates being considerably higher than before.
This year's top student is an ambitious young man currently working at La Bri, viz Roger Cloete. We are holding thumbs for him to get a bursary to study at Elsenburg for 2016. His General Manager at La Bri, Irene Waller proudly says 'Roger started with us at the bottom, and has shown admirable growth, tenacity and loyalty and although we don't want him to leave, we are delighted to watch and encourage his development!'
Two other top achievers were husband and wife team Charmaine & Pieter Soldaat! Their arms were heavy with certificates and Charmaine has just been appointed as a trustee to Boland Wine and Pieter is the HR manager at Mooiuitsig.
The Wine Tasting award for top marks went to William Ladlokova from Robertson Winery. I would like to see him testing his taste buds at the South African Wine Tasting Competition on 27th June in Cape Town.
SKOP (Senior Kelder Opleidings Program aka Senior Cellar Worker Training Program) - was initiated in 1987 by a few Cellar Technology Old Boys from Elsenburg - with a vision to provide training for cellar workers. The programme was presented under the auspices of EKOV (Elsenburg Cellar Technology Alumni Association) from 1987 until 2005 when Wine Training SA was founded. EKOV, the custodian of Wine Training South Africa currently has more than 550 alumni members with among them, prominent winemakers & achievers in the wine industry. Gerrie Grootboom from Roodezandt won the Cellar Worker of the year in 2014 and he finished SKOP in 2005!
One of the winemakers who also finished his SKOP in 2005 alongside Gerrie is Randolph Christians, winemaker at Rustenberg, who was recently awarded the Old Mutual Most Successful Producer Overall, as well as winning a 2015 Top SA Shiraz prize, so he is clearly doing something right!
Bradley van Niekerk, currently winemaker at Distell, started as a general worker and gardener at JC le Roux in 1999, and did his first SKOP course in 2002. He subsequently won a bursary to attend Elsenburg where he graduated in 2008. In 2009, he was selected to go to Burgundy as part of the Barrel Maintenance Exchange program, and his message to this year's graduates is 'Eer jou vader en moeder', as his mother was his rock and always encouraged him and supported him. 'Surround yourself with positive people - if you believe it can happen, it will!'
One of the challenges faced by the students doing SKOP training is the Maths section. with the quality of Maths tuition during their school being fairly poor. Marius Burger (Emma's husband) does the Maths lectures and he says although this is improving it is still a struggle. As Marius says 'It is critical that you know what a percentage is when you are filling the tank per volume or adding yeast'
Emma Burger has been an unfailing driver of this training program for as long as I can remember and without her (and her hubby Marius & son Marius's) input and energy, WTSA would have never seen the light of day. Many hours of course development, encouragement, planning, cajoling and begging have resulted in this program really making a difference in people's lives. Even though transformation has been relatively slow in the SA Wine Industry, the SKOP programs are really empowering people.
Romena Ferreira also scooped a few certificates at this year's event and she has now joined Emma, who is more than delighted to have an assistant to help her run the program.
Following WTSA's partnership with the Cape Winemakers Guild in 2014, Wine Training SA was further enabled to create capacity to extend its training offerings.
The EKOV Board has representation from EKOV and The Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG):
- Chairman: Danie Marais - EKOV
- Vice Chair: Louis Strydom, (Vice Chairman) - CWG
- Financial Director Marius Burger
- Miles Mossop - CWG
- Cornea Cilliers - EKOV
I am also a firm believer of upliftment through education and I am so encouraged by the work that Wine Training SA is doing and by the number of graduates they are producing.
If you want to find out more, visit their website www.winetrainingsa.co.za
Their offices are in the FET building at Elsenburg just outside Stellenbosch on the R44 towards Paarl.
Contact: Emma Burger or her new assistant Romena Ferreira on 021 3000117 or Email:admin@winetrainingsa.co.za