WSET and the Worshipful Company of Distillers have launched a bursary fund to help spirits industry professionals affected by the impact of COVID-19.
The bursary scheme has been established to give some of the spirits industry’s up and coming talent a helping hand in progressing their careers. The bursary will fund ten individuals every year to take their WSET Level 2 or Level 3 Award in Spirits qualification. The Worshipful Company of Distillers will also partner bursary recipients with a mentor or contact in the industry who will help them with their career development. Bursary applicants for the first year have been nominated by the WSET and Worshipful Company of Distillers’ extensive industry network of employers across the UK.
The first ten recipients of the bursary have already been selected and include employees from diverse backgrounds in the spirits and hospitality industries – several of whom have been made redundant or furloughed. Individuals have the choice to take their selected course in person or online at WSET School London or online with The Mixing Class - a leading independent provider of WSET spirits courses.
Commenting on the bursary Jonathan Driver, Master of the Worshipful Company of Distillers said, “We are delighted to be working with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust on our bursary fund. One of our key objectives as a livery company is to support spirits education and vocational training in our industry and we want to play our part in supporting emerging talent in the spirits industry in these difficult times. I have great hopes that, with our support, some of our bursary recipients will progress to become the next leaders of the spirits industry.”
