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British Columbia Wine Institute and Okanagan College sign cooperation agreement
British Co lumbia Wine Institute and Okanagan Co llege sign coo peratio n agreement
The British Columbia Wine Institute and Okanagan College have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that outlines the two institutions’ enhanced collaboration to provide a broad range of integrated opportunities for partnerships, projects, and applied research in wine and related industries designed to positively influence regional economic development and contributions to creating a prosperous and sustainable industry.
The British Columbia Wine Institute (BCWI) and Okanagan College (OC) have a new tool in place to help guide their continued cooperation.
The MoU establishes a framework to further their common interests in research and projects to further the wine and related industries.
“The Memorandum of Understanding recognizes the value of our new relationship with Okanagan College and fosters coordinating our collective efforts to further the wine industry, and more specifically in applied research related to our common goals,” says Miles Prodan, BC Wine Institute president. “In a time of rapid growth, this agreement gives us the direction to leverage our partnership for the benefit of the industry, and we look forward to the progress ahead.”
Adds Bill Gillett, Okanagan College’s dean of the School of Business, “Okanagan College is a devoted and integral part of the wine industry here in the Okanagan Valley.” Gillett
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The MoU will remain valid until July 2020, when the agreement may be extended for an additional period of time subject to review and approval by the college and the BCWI.
Okanagan College and the British Columbia Wine Institute have worked together on a number of fronts. One of the more notable collaborations has been development of a course intended for wine servers in the province, but available free to the public.
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www.gintec-shade.com gintec@gintec-shade.com credits the work of two associate deans – Dr. Barry McGillivray and Jonathan Rouse – who have been working closely with the BCWI to establish the positive relationship. “This MoU is a voluntary recognition of the collaboration we have going forward, and is intended to further the applied research and instructional objective of the college, and provide benefits to the BCWI through research, outcomes, improvements, and discoveries.”
OC and the BCWI have worked together on a number of fronts. One of the more notable collaborations has been development of a course intended for wine servers in the province, but available free to the public (okanagan.bc.ca/wineserver). The self-paced course takes about 1.5 hours to complete and is intended to help students better understand the places and people that make B.C. wine special and unique.
“We saw an opportunity and need to provide education and insight to some of the people who can have a real impact on wine sales in B.C., and on the wine tourist experience,” noted Prodan when the course was launched. “Our goal was to develop a course that anyone who serves B.C. VQA wine could take at their leisure. The course allows anyone who takes it to gain a greater understanding of the distinguishing factors of B.C. VQA wine and the B.C. wine industry, as well as gives practical information on serving wine and enhancing the tasting and dining experience.”
a pivotal role in taking B.C.'s wine industry from a vision to an internationally recognized niche region producing premium wines and providing exceptional wine tourism experiences. The BCWI markets the wine and regions of B.C.; delivers quality trade, media and consumer tastings; and acts as the voice of B.C.'s wine industry by advocating to government on behalf of industry that contributes $2.8 billion in provincial economic growth annually.
The BCWI represents all wineries in British Columbia to grow the premium market share for the Wines of British Columbia, while driving awareness of their worldclass wines and tourism product – currently drawing a million visitors with $600 million in tourism and tourism employment-related economic impact every year. For more information about the BC Wine Institute's programs and services, please visit WineBC.com.
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For details on B.C. VQA wine and the Wines of British Columbia, go to WineBC.com or WineBC.org, Like the Wines of British Columbia Facebook page, and follow @WineBCdotcom on Twitter and Instagram.
Okanagan College is B.C.’s thirdlargest college and annually serves more than 20,000 people with a wide variety of academic, vocational, trades and developmental programs. With a history that dates to 1963, the college’s four major campuses (Vernon, Kelowna, Penticton, and Salmon Arm) and several educational centres integrate into the fabric of the entire region, with tens of thousands of alumni. The college offers a host of wine-related courses and programs, which are highlighted at Okanagan.bc.ca/fwt. o
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