Students to Benefit from Enhanced Scholarship

News Release
For Immediate Release

NMIT Students to Benefit from Enhanced Wine Marlborough Scholarship

A desire to show more support to committed wine makers and viticulturists has led to a revamp of two key scholarships awarded to students from NMIT’s Diploma in Viticulture and Wine Production.

For the first time in 2011, the discretionary scholarships will be available to second year students, instead of a first year student. It also requires the recipient(s) to meet with sponsor Wine Marlborough, four times a year to report on their progress and get an industry perspective. The financial award of $1500 remains the same for each scholarship.

The Wine Marlborough Scholarship has been offered by the regional promotion and advocacy organisation for numerous years, but General Manager Marcus Pickens says they wanted to boost it to be of more value to both the students and industry.

“The changes will significantly enhance the value of the scholarship. I think it will be far more valuable now and by building in some interaction we can give them an update on what is happening in the wine industry, and offer our knowledge and contacts to facilitate their study and career.”

Diploma in Viticulture and Wine Production Programme Leader Tricia Jane says the changes in the scholarship are all good news for students.

“The important difference in awarding the scholarship to a second year student is it means the student has a clear idea of where they’re heading and Wine Marlborough is able to help them identify areas they can be supportive. It’s also easier for us to select the winner(s) because we’ve known them for a year.”

The Wine Marlborough regional wine association works for 570 grape growers and 130 wineries .

“We can see a bright future for our wine industry so we really need people with a high degree of skills coming through, along with a willingness to get involved,” says Marcus Pickens.

“That’s why I’d like to say we are ramping our commitment to this up. We are signalling our support and would like to see other people in the industry doing the same. It’s important for us to assist our industry and NMIT, a closely aligned training organisation.”

Tricia Jane says enrolments for the Diploma are increasing and while most students are based in Marlborough they also have students from around New Zealand and even Australia.

“We are always trying to make the Diploma qualification as accessible as possible and the increasing popularity of our online study option is highlighting that people are still wanting to train for this important industry and that recognise the quality of our Diploma. Our graduates are sought after and are going into good jobs after they graduate,” says Tricia Jane.

As part of the selection process for the next recipient of the Wine Marlborough Scholarship, students will also have to provide information about their work experience in the summer holidays.

NMIT Chief Executive Tony Grays says: “The partnership with Wine Marlborough has been very rewarding for NMIT students and staff. They’re a body that does great work for the industry in this region and they’ve shown, by their support through this scholarship for another year, that they value the quality and scope of the training NMIT offers those who are wanting a career in the wine industry.”

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