I just got word that due to the cuts in higher education funding, Lake Washington Technical College will be killing their 90 credit Wine Technology program. This is hard to accept, considering the fact that less than 5 miles away more than 90 wineries are represented in Woodinville wine country. Many of those wineries are small and marginally profitable, but there are more than a few big guns that might consider sponsoring this program.

The Washington wine industry continues to grow at a rapid pace, and it is absolutely in the best interest of the local wineries to have a large pool of qualified candidates to staff their tasting rooms and cellars. I doubt it would take an enormous financial commitment to save this program and there is still time to act. My understanding is that the current students will be allowed to finish out the year, but they will not accept any new applicants.

Do you work in the Washington wine trade? Talk to your owners and managers about a great opportunity to support their local community while also helping to train their future employees!

For more information on the program visit the LWTC website