The viticulture and enology program began training students at Surry Community College in 1999. From hands-on experience in the college’s vineyard to workforce experience with local vineyards, students are prepared to enter the regional winemaking industry.
“This program directly reflects the needs of the wine industry and the viticulture industry in growing the grapes and producing the wine,” said David Shockley, president of Surry Community College. “It’s an example of what community colleges do best and better than anybody else, which is the workforce development.”
Students are able to secure jobs and work in paid position while obtaining their education at the college, allowing the local wine industry to grow and increasing tourism to the Yadkin Valley region.
This Part 2 of our three-part video series on the role of community colleges in developing North Carolina’s workforce. To watch Part 1 on developing truck drivers, click here. To read our featured article on this topic, click here.
