The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), a global provider of wine, spirits and sake qualifications, announced May 19 that is has launched its Raising Spirits campaign in the U.S. The new learning initiative benefits U.S. hospitality professionals affected by the COVID-19 crisis.
Raising Spirits aims to offer a minimum of 5,000 active members of the bar, restaurant and hospitality sectors the opportunity to take an online WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits course. The initiative will provide hospitality employees the opportunity to increase their industry knowledge and skills while they are unable to work and will provide a much-needed boost to the sector’s morale.
While WSET pledges to cover the cost of the course delivery, it is looking for support from the U.S. beverage industry to ensure that as many hospitality workers as possible can benefit. Anyone interested in supporting the campaign by becoming a WSET corporate patron should contact americas@wsetglobal.com by June 1, 2020.
WSET aims to launch the first courses by mid-June. The WSET Level 1 Award in Spirits is delivered over four weeks through WSET’s Online Classroom under the guidance of a dedicated WSET educator; students will be required to sit an online exam at the end of the course.
The courses are open to any employee from the hospitality sector who is not currently able to work because of the COVID-19 lockdown. Candidates must be of legal drinking age to participate in any alcohol tasting, but WSET says it’s not a barrier to successfully completing the qualification.
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals interested in applying can register their interest at the Raising Spirits event site from June 1, 2020.