On the invitation of the President of Universität Talca (UTA), Prof. Álvaro Rojas Marín, Prof. Randolf Kauer, Head of the Viticulture and Enology Division at Hochschule Geisenheim University, presented an overview of the German academic system and explained the workings of Geisenheim's 'Dual Program', in a workshop lasting several days in December 2018. He explained general details of the program, including duration and possibilities and specifically how it is run in Geisenheim, to professors in charge of viticulture teaching programs in Chile. The workshop also included meetings with representatives of local wineries such as Miguel A. Torres, Vina Maquis and Siegel Vineyards, as well as students and alumni of Universität Talca.
Prof. Rojas Marín, Yerko Moreno, professors for viticulture and enology at UTA, and Patricio Gomez Arismendi, Director of Campus Colchagua and thus responsible for apprenticeship programs, held instensive dicussions with Prof. Kauer and were impressed by the possibilities offered by the dual program, which has been offered in numerous degree programs at Geisenheim University for several years, praising its flexibility and close links with practice.
On the basis of these discussions, university viticulture and enology programs and apprenticeship systems in Chile plan on working more closely with the wine industry, combining practical competencies from the basic training with the more theoretical university teaching, with the aim of developing dual training systems towards a standard 'Geisenheim model' at Universität Talca and at Campus Colchagua.
Hochschule Geisenheim University has been very successful over the past few years in the development of its dual program, and almost 70% of current viticulture students have either completed an apprenticeship before studying or are progressing along the dual system. Through the combination of apprenticeship, degree and a further internship during their studies, our graduates are optimally trained for directly beginning their careers with the best prospects.
Text: Prof. Dr. Randolf Kauer + ed.
