The Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA) launches young talent for employment. We are committed to growing into industries where we are able to identify meaningful employment opportunities for our graduates. This commitment has led us into the Wine Tourism Sector.
The tourism industry is a national priority area for job creation and in the Western Cape, Wine has been identified as a key player. Our decision to grow into this industry enables us to maximise meaningful employment for our graduates and to grow our strong relationships in the wine industry.
As we continue to stretch ourselves for greater impact, this is also the first time we opened our student selection to the greater Cape Town area and we got applications from as far as Gugulethu.
Wine Tourism Programme (October 2016 to September 2017)
Month 3 and thriving!
On 10 October 2016 we welcomed 25 new talented young people through our doors for our first Wine Tourism Programme.
These students will go through a 12 month work readiness programme which will teach them the value chain of the Wine Tourism Sector. As usual the first month with students is critical for creating culture and setting the tone for the rest of the year. We continue to stand in awe of the amazing resilience our young people have and their commitment to bring change to their lives.
This group has already done a number of activities aimed at giving them a personal experience of the tourism industry in the Western Cape. This included a Red Tour Bus in Cape Town, a historical tour of Stellenbosch and a visit to Spier Wine Farm.
The end of November saw this group complete a week long placement as a form of immersion into this new industry. The students had the opportunity to get an overview of each farm’s wine tourism offering doing everything from peeling potatoes to presenting wine. As always each student’s experience was different but everyone of them learned something new.
We look forward to seeing them grow with us in this new industry.
Click here to read our December 2016 Newsletter.
