Education and On-The-Job Training FAQs
Where can the apprentice receive the required educational courses?
The Iowa Wine Growers Association has a list of approved educational institutions for you to choose from that would meet the minimum requirements for the educational hours required in this program. You are able to receive the educational hours and training through any of these approved programs, however our recommended resource for the educational requirements is the Midwest Grape & Wine Industry Institute (MGWII), which is located on the campus of Iowa State University (ISU).
How much does the apprenticeship coursework cost at the MGWII?
The instructional hours provided through the MGWII are offered at a course rate of $5 per credit hour, which is incredibly reasonably. They have well-qualified staff on site to provide the education and training through workshops, on-site courses and online webinars.
Who pays for the educational training/tuition?
The apprentice and sponsoring employer are responsible for coming to an agreement on who pays for the educational training and tuition.
The on-the-job training should start upon approval notification of the apprenticeship application form. The day the apprentice applies for the program is when they can start officially tracking their on-the-job training hours. If they have completed any on-the-job training before the date they applied, they can still receive credit for it, but it must be included in the previous credit checklist form.
When can the apprentice start their on-the-job training?
Each apprentice may be responsible for maintaining a record of his or her work experience/on-the-job training and related educational instruction and for having this record verified by their sponsoring employer, however the sponsoring employer is responsible for maintaining a record of each apprentice’s application, education, on-the-job training, progress evaluations, corrective and final actions pertaining to the apprenticeship and for keeping a copy of these records on file for each apprentice.
We recommend recording progress on a weekly basis and have developed various progress and tracking documents to make recording and reporting this information easier. We will supply these to you upon enrollment into the program. For further explanation, see SECTION 21: MAINTENANCE OF RECORDS on page 11 of the IWGA Standards of Apprenticeship.