IWGA Announces New Vineyard Manager Apprenticeship Program
March 1, 2021 - The Iowa Wine Growers Association (IWGA) has added a new Vineyard Manager track to their Registered Apprenticeship Program. The Vineyard Manager (Agricultural Service Worker) program is designed for employees to “learn while they earn” how to oversee and maintain a quality vineyard. This program joins the already established Cellar Worker and Wine Maker tracks that have been available since the launch of the program in 2016.
The Vineyard Manager program is a 3,000 hour (roughly a year and a half of full-time employment) educational and hands-on learning experience for an apprentice. By adding this track into the program, it allows a high school graduate to enter into the wine industry right away, versus having to wait until they’re closer to the legal drinking age of 21, which is a program requirement for the wine maker program due to the direct involvement with alcohol. In addition, superior wine begins in the vineyard with quality grapes, so adding in education and experience in the vineyard, along with the cellar worker and wine maker education and experience will naturally result in higher quality wine. An apprentice should be able to complete all three programs in roughly the same amount of time spent in a traditional university setting, while earning a steady income and receiving hands-on experience along with program certificates.
“We know that apprenticeship programs help employers recruit, build, and retain a highly-skilled workforce, which is why we’re thrilled to be able to offer this to our industry members. The quality of wine begins in the vineyard, and this is a natural addition to our program in order to continue to support our mission of promoting quality wines being produced from local grapes here in Iowa,” said Nicole Eilers, marketing director for the IWGA.
Interested apprentices should contact their local wineries for hiring information. Seasonal vineyard work has already begun with pruning vines, preparing them for spring. Now it the perfect time for wineries to consider enrollment in this program. For more information, visit our website at www.iowawinegrowers.org/apprenticeship.