Beer enthusiasts—if you’re passionate about beer, why not make a career out of it?
With the unprecedented amount of growth seen in the beer brewing industry in B.C., more jobs are being created; developing a need for more people who are passionate and knowledgeable about the brewery business. One post-secondary institution is taking this into consideration by offering a new program to fill the demand.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is launching a two-year diploma program in the science of brewing—the first of its kind in British Columbia—and one out of a few dozen in the world that will offer students a practical education in the science, production and business aspects of the brewing industry.
“We are so excited to be offering the first brewing diploma program in B.C.,” says Elizabeth Worobec, dean of the faculty of science and horticulture at KPU. “Along with practical hands-on training, we’ll be giving students a solid background in the science behind brewing craft beer, including the chemistry and microbiology involved in the process. It’s this much-needed expertise that graduates will bring to the province’s brewing industry.”
Only 35 students will be accepted into the program starting in September 2014 at Kwantlen’s Langley campus; where they will learn how to brew beer from scratch, in one of the specially-designed laboratories.
The curriculum is being constructed with guidance from the B.C. Craft Brewers Guild and with input from other local brewmasters throughout the province. Students will not only develop a keen sense of the history of brewing, but also the relevant equipment and technology used. The full-time program will also include a summer work experience term to put their knowledge to the test.
The program is designed to help prepare students for careers in the brewing industry; working as brewmasters and brew pub operators, or working in marketing and public relations, as well as licensing and agency sales and operations.
“KPU’s brewing program is going to be a great boost to the prestige and legitimacy of B.C.’s brewing industry,” says Nick Bolton, head brewer with Surrey’s Big Ridge Brewing Co. “Courses like this are a great way to ensure that the people entering the field have all the necessary knowledge to hit the ground running, and that the products they produce are of the highest possible quality. I think that with the amount of breweries starting up across the province, combined with the training provided by this course, we are going to find that B.C. could quickly start becoming Canada’s brewing capital.”
To find out more about the program and admission requirements, visit: www.kpu.ca.brew.
Written by Meagan Gill
Photo Credit: Erin Stodola on Flikr
