I am a sucker for training and empowerment projects. SKOP - the Senior Cellar Worker training programs run by Emma Burger from Wine Training SA. It is one of these great programs, which was initiated by EKOV 30 years ago.
Emma and her very able team, have been running these programs for many years now, and I was pleased to learn that all the various training organisations in the industry are working together to ensure that there are not overlaps and that people get the training and recognition that they need. The Winetech Study Groups, Circle of Excellence, Wine Training SA and VinPro Foundation are all working together - creating better synergies.
VinPro Foundation recently launched their Learning Management System, and this will also be a very valuable tool to manage the training required and done in the wine industry.
SKOP has trained hundreds of cellar workers throughout the last 30 years, and I looked back to an article by Kevin Kidson from 2005, where he also remarked on the major shift, when he saw the first brown SKOP 3 graduates - really showing confidence and significant learning.
However, more than 10 years on, I find that most functions I attend in the industry are still largely attended by a very large majority white audience, and the EKOV event was no exception. I understand that moves are afoot to ensure that a broader group of EKOV members attend these functions and that education is more easily accessible to people of colour, but I often feel that it must be very difficult for anyone who is not white, to break into this very traditionally pale male environment - and we have a long way to go to shift this. I know that EKOV and Elsenburg have put in a lot of effort to encourage all alumni to join, and look forward to the growth of EKOV in future to represent all. I was encouraged to see a number of women in the audience, and this at least has grown, but still proportionately fairly low, in comparison to the white male!
The event I attended was, in fact, the induction of the new EKOV members, a very revered process of a mini-knighthood, performed by Pieter Carstens of Slanghoek. Pieter made a stern call to all EKOV members to get involved and make a difference, both on the EKOV Board and also to use the SKOP training offered, so that their cellar assistants have all the opportunities available to develop further.
The new EKOV members
Achievements were also recognised at the event - with the 1983 graduates of Elsenburg receiving a magnum bottle for their achievements (whose group included Hein Koegelenberg) and Pierre Wahl, winemaker at Rijks in Tulbagh being awarded their massive floating trophy, for his outstanding achievements and contribution to the South African Wine industry. Pierre is the only winemaker to have the most Pinotages recognised by the ABSA Top 10 Pinotage awards, and in 2016 was awarded the prestigious Diners' Club Winemaker of the Year award.
One of the best things to come out of EKOV is the SKOP (Senior Kelder Opleidings Program) training sessions, and this has developed considerably over the years, giving cellar assisants a chance to improve their skill sets, and to be inspired and motivated. The training courses are now run ably by Wine Training SA, headed up by stalwart Emma Burger, who has done wonderful work to get their courses SETA accredited.
Bradley van Niekerk was one of the EKOV inductees - who in fact graduated in 2008, and has worked at Distell for a number of years. He is a valuable addition to the WTSA staff.
I was very encouraged to see Bradley be inducted into EKOV (even though many years after graduating at Elsenburg) and to see Mario Damon on the board of WTSA. Mario has been a powerful mentor to SKOP graduate and Circle of Excellence member, Heinrich La Fleur, who completed his National Wine-making Certificate through WTSA recently.
Congrats to all and welcome to the new EKOV members!