Foundation cheers 23 wine industry youth graduates
OLD Mutual Foundation is helping to transform the wine industry in the Western Cape by fostering young, previously disadvantaged female talent and has helped to create job opportunities for 50 youth in the industry by providing funding worth R1.2 million in the past year.
The foundation said it is proud to congratulate 23 graduates from the 2017 class of the Pinotage Youth Development Academy (PYDA), a registered non-profit firm and as part of the company’s Responsible Business ethos, the foundation invested development funding with the academy in support of its work in driving job creation, transformation and inclusion.
The PYDA, through the funding, was able to create job opportunities for 50 youth in the Western Cape wine industry.
Millicent Maroga, head of the Old Mutual Foundation, said the academy brought about positive change in the lives of the graduates and contributes to a changing wine landscape in the region.
“We are proud to support the Pinotage Youth Development Academy and the work they do in creating positive change in the lives of young people. At Old Mutual, we believe in not only celebrating outstanding wines, which we do annually as part of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.”
Maroga said skills development was an important element of all the firm’s sponsorships and, in addition to the PYDA, it also supports the development of world-class wine judges through the Wine Judging Academy, run with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business.
“We are also a long-term partner of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme through Nedbank, a member of the Old Mutual group.”
Trainees at the academy are selected from the greater Stellenbosch area, Paarl, Wellington and Franschhoek, key wine-producing regions in the Western Cape. The programme is a one-year qualification that combines a number of accredited modules with personal development and in-programme work placements, is endorsed by Winetech and widely supported by wine farms in the region, also a source of employment for graduates.
Nikki Munro, a programme director at the PYDA, said it aims to launch young South African talent into meaningful employment as a new generation of professionals in the sector.
“Through meaningful work, our graduates are able to bring irrevocable change to their lives, their families and communities. The partnership with the Old Mutual Foundation is invaluable to us and, through our shared commitment to skills development and positive change, we are able to expand our reach to create more work-ready employees for industry.”
The academy, since its inception in 2013, has produced 122 graduates with a 90% employment rate and, during the year-long course, trainees are exposed to a variety of wine industry environments, from pruning, to tasting room work and marketing, becoming well-rounded graduates able to contribute to the industry.
Maroga said: “Old Mutual’s continuing sponsorship of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show holds the promise of great reward in the form of a future world-class wine-making industry.” –