As funding for the next rounds of the WSET Bursary with The Drinks Trust opens on August 1st, The Drinks Trust visited two previous beneficiaries to see what their own experiences have meant for their careers in drinks.
We were welcomed with warm smiles at Loki Wines in Birmingham where Somesh has recently acquired a new role as Assistant Manager and is demonstrating the self-service wine dispensers, popular amongst the customers who come to enjoy and sample the extensive wine list.
Having both finished Master’s degrees in International Hospitality at University College Birmingham, where the couple recently graduated, Somesh and Maitreyi married each other earlier in the year and are in quiet competition to be the top students on their impending WSET course.
It’s clear from our meeting to see how much they have enjoyed learning about the trade. They both received positive results for their WSET Level 2 Award in Wines, which they studied with Loki’s WSET Educators and will be starting their Level 3 Award training in the Autumn.
The Drinks Trust’s 2024 industry survey showed 58% of the respondents said they are looking for extra training, qualifications and mentoring to help their career journey. The impact that a bursary can have on an individual is tremendous, but the secondary effect on businesses is also huge – in hospitality especially, lack of training opportunities leads to increased rates of staff turnover.
Funding has had enormous benefits for both graduates in their new job roles, Maitreyi working in F&B at a local hotel, yet access to the WSET courses has created a deep enjoyment of wine outside of work, too.
Somesh points to a Polish fortified wine on the shelf next to us and Maitreyi reminisces over her latest love of white wines and German Reislings. They often come home to share a glass or two, which they joke is for the benefit of their studies.
For many job seekers, a full qualification is not always possible whilst looking for work, so The Drinks Trust’s online training provisions come in to use where students can access on-demand training.
M: “I was struggling to get a job and couldn’t give as much attention to the WSET training as I wanted, which meant that I wasn’t able to start my course as early as I wanted.”
S: “In my family, the land was always passed down throughout the generations. My grandfather and father were farmers with around 100 acres of land near Pune. I was lucky enough to go to a harvest during our Diwali break back at the farm. My family were putting 110% effort into growing the fruit, though there were only five years of growing vines before climate change made it impossible to continue.”
For many students, the practical experiences will solidify the knowledge they have gained in their studies. Somesh is no exception with his family history of growing vines in India - a motivator for further understanding how he can create positive change.
As Maitreyi says, a person’s learning journey is never complete. In her previous role as a Junior Sommelier, the constant tastings were a real benefit to her palate and something she hopes will give her an extra advantage in the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines.
Maitreyi was recently awarded the opportunity to travel to Greece as part of the Hallgarten Novum Wines EDI Initiative, supporting diversity in the wine industry. She looks forward to being amongst the vineyards and developing her skills with the Hallgarten Novum Wines team.
S: “When we came to the UK, we got a different exposure to wines compared to what we knew in India. People prefer to drink beer in the hot weather, and wine is not as accessible. Soon, we realised that wine can be for all types of occasions”.
M: “This is also changing thanks to people like Sonal Holland, who give students in her community a love of wine. Even talking to my sister about wine has grown her love for it - there is a scope for everyone to learn if they want to, and creating a community helps”!
With the support of generous partners and donations, students like Maitreyi and Somesh have been able to change the trajectory of their careers and develop their skills.
In the last two years, The Drinks Trust has supported over 1500 students to reach their drinks career goals through fully-funded bursaries, workshops and guided employment support with DEVELOP. The provisions within the programme offer a range of options for individuals in financial hardship to reach their goals in their chosen field whether they are at the very beginning of their career or if learning and development has stalled.
