Winemaking degree at Margaret River campus scrapped by Curtin University

The only undergraduate winemaking course in Western Australia has been scrapped due to falling student enrolments.

Curtin University's viticulture and oenology bachelor degree based at its Margaret River campus provided students with hands-on skills in wine making and boasted a 92 per cent graduate employment rate.

However, only 11 new students enrolled in 2014.

Professor David Wood, provost and senior deputy vice-chancellor at Curtin said the university had put the course on hold until it could investigate why the numbers were down.

"Certainly the wine industry feels there is demand but we are getting very few students choosing that program," he said.

Spraying vines at Juniper Estate in Margaret River (Pic Ianto Ward)

"We don't think it is related to employment opportunities, because we are told by industry that there is a good uptake of our graduates," he said.

"It is just for some reason students are choosing not to go into that undergraduate program."

President of the WA Wine Association Redmond Sweeny said the closure would have a negative impact on the local industry.

"Many senior winemakers have come through that course - it is proven to be a very high standard training and education facility," he said.

"Looking forward, with the planned closure, wineries will have to look for graduates from South Australia and at the same time young people will have to go over there to do these courses, so it is not a good outcome at all."

Course closure could lead to skills shortage: wine association

Mr Sweeny said there would be a skills shortage in the next three to five years if it was not reinstated.

"From the industry's perspective I'd like to think this is not a done deal," he said.

"Yes numbers are down, and that's cyclical, you just can't have institutions turning their back on training when things aren't going according to plan.

 "I think it is a big loss for the wine industry and I hope it is not a fait accompli."

Curtin student guild president Jason Giancono said the move to scrap the degree was a significant loss to students in regional WA.

"It is definitely a shame because we should be encouraging more people from regional areas to go to university, not less," he said.

"Students will have to relocate or do an online course; the problem with an online course is that this degree is very hands-on.

"At Margaret River they have a teaching winery on the campus and they have a whole lot of laboratories, and you just don't get the same experience online as you do actually on the campus."

University to consult with industry over low course numbers

Professor Wood said Curtin would undertake a consultation with industry next year to determine the course's future.

"The wine industry tells us that there is demand, that our graduates are employed, so the difficult question is then why are people choosing not to do the course?" he said.

"The Margaret River wine district does extraordinarily well in terms of prizes and awards, it is producing superb product.

"But there are other factors; there has been difficulty for vineyards in terms of gluts of grapes, people getting out of the industry, and perhaps potential professionals in the area feel uneasy about it, and they are the things we need to understand."

Mr Giancono said WA would lose expertise to other states as a result of the course closing

"As this is the only degree of its kind in WA, the impact of its discontinuation will be far-reaching, as we know that students who study in regional areas are more likely to undertake employment in the region after graduation," he said.

"To reach targets of getting regional people into higher education you need to have regional campuses."

Source : ABC News  Louise Merrillees  December 10th 2014