Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA)

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This project builds on a previous NSF ATE award to create the Viticulture and Enology Science and Technology Alliance (VESTA) Regional Center of Excellence. A multi-state (Missouri, Oklahoma, Illinois, and Iowa) alliance of two-year colleges is committed to providing a comprehensive, regional approach to meet the current and future education and training requirements of the grape growing and wine making industry in the Mid-America region. The project focuses on solidifying linkages among VESTA partner institutions, identifying and validating industry skill standards, ensuring course delivery through the partner institutions, identifying high school and four-year institutional linkages, and certifying vineyards and wineries as field practicum sites. VESTA intends to expand to include two-year colleges in Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin, thereby supporting the grape and wine industry throughout the Mid-America region. While the VESTA program focuses on the needs of the industry in the Mid-America region, the Center also reaches out to other leading educational institutions throughout the country that feature high quality grape and wine educational programs to provide access to career pathways in viticulture and enology; a technically skilled workforce; and technological support to the grape and wine industry. It also supports entrepreneurs as they endeavor to create new vineyards and wineries.