Articles by author: Brock University

  • Brock’s first online continuing education course breaks new ground for wine industry

    MEDIA RELEASE: R00001 – 5 January 2017

    Brock University’s continuing education offerings are going digital, and when the Certificate in Ontario Wine online course begins next month, it will also be the Ontario wine industry’s first integrated online program specific to VQA wine.

    Offered by Brock’s Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI), the course is designed for a wide audience, from wine enthusiasts to professionals working in a winery, hospitality or retail sales environment.

    The five-week program will see students study alongside peers under course designer and instructor Marc Pistor, an Ontario winemaker who is also a Brock Oenology and Viticulture alumnus (BSc ’06). Using an interactive format that includes videos, forums and chat discussions, students will put in about six hours of work each week around their own schedule. They will receive suggestions and recommendations on Ontario wines to taste and will be able to share their tasting notes with their classmates.

    Graduates will receive official certification through CCOVI at Brock University and are also eligible to write the Wine Council of Ontario Certification.

    “In Niagara there are options and opportunities for wine education but beyond our region, those opportunities are limited,” said Pistor. “Creating this course helps to get the word out about Ontario wine across the province.”

    The course will run five times each year in February, April, June, August and October. Registration is $195.

    “This is the first online course of its kind,” said Barb Tatarnic, CCOVI’s manager of continuing education. “Offering this course online will remove both geographical and time barriers for people interested in a formal introduction to Ontario wine.”

    During a trial run of the course, participants were able to test out the system and work through the course material.

    “I would recommend this course to anyone working, or aspiring to work in the Ontario wine industry as this course would be hugely beneficial,” said trial participant Malcolm Lamont, LCBO Product Consultant in St. Catharines.

    Laurie Macdonald, VQA Ontario’s Executive Director, said industry partners including VQA Ontario welcome the new course, and are looking forward to working with CCOVI to increase consumer knowledge about VQA wines.

    “Consumers will benefit from a better understanding of Ontario’s diverse regions including the role grape origin plays in the character and taste of our wines,” Macdonald said.

    Registration for the February session closes January 27 and the course begins February 11. For more details visit: ccovi.ca/ce/node/2833

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Kaitlyn Little, Marketing and Communications Officer, Brock University klittle@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x4471

    – 30 –
     

    Categories: Media releases

  • Brock encourages families to tap into new free-tuition plan

    MEDIA RELEASE: R00260 – 20 December 2016
     
    Brock University will become a reachable option for thousands more Niagara families next fall, when a new program covers undergraduate tuition costs for students from middle- or low-income homes.
     
    The provincial government’s Ontario Grant Program, which takes effect in September 2017, is designed to pay most or all tuition costs for students from households earning less than $50,000 a year.
     
    Last week, the government posted an online calculator where students can see if they qualify for free tuition or grants. For students about to graduate from high school, Jan. 11, 2017 is the application deadline to attend Brock next fall.
     
    About 55,000 households in Niagara have an annual income of less than $50,000, according to Statistics Canada figures from 2011, the most recent available. Niagara, which is rebuilding its economy after losing thousands of industrial and manufacturing jobs over the past 15 years, has a median income ($68,410) significantly lower than the Ontario average ($74,890).
     
    Brock officials say the new program means university is now a serious choice for all qualified students, regardless of income, but especially for those who can attend university while continuing to live at home.
     
    “This is a tremendous opportunity to help more young people achieve a better future for themselves and their families,” said Tom Traves, Brock’s Interim President and Vice-Chancellor.
     
    “Our bright young people are the ones who will build Niagara and build Canada. They should not be denied access to a good education because of financial disadvantages beyond their control, and now those barriers are being removed.”
     
    Traves said having a well-educated, innovative workforce is crucial for Niagara, and added, “this is a huge breakthrough for Niagara students that can really change our region’s future.”
     
    For more on Brock’s undergraduate programs, and how to apply, go to discover.brocku.ca
     
    Learn more about the Ontario Grant Program at www.ontario.ca/page/new-ontario-student-grant
     
     
     
     
    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:
     
    * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970
     
    – 30 –

    Categories: Media releases