The University of León plans to implement the first microcredential in sommelier in the Community starting in January 2025, to respond to “the training need that has been detected in a constantly growing labor market, such as wine tourism and gastronomy.” This was announced today by the vice-rector for Entrepreneurship, Employability and Lifelong Training, María José Vieira, at the inauguration of the events celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Association of Sommeliers of León, Asle.
The microcredential has been designed jointly by the León Sommelier Association and the Department of Hygiene and Food Technology of the University and will be a degree that will combine “theoretical and practical teaching, with the aim of providing students with specific skills, in areas such as viticulture, enology, sensory analysis and winery management.”
The objective is for it to be launched in January since, as Vieira explained, it has already gone through the procedures of the Quality and Teaching Commission and is only pending approval by the Governing Council and Social Council of the University of Lion.
The University of León hopes to have funding from the funds of the Microcreds Plan, from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan that seeks, throughout the European Union, to develop microcredentials “very focused on sectors “specific productive activities, in specific professions” and aimed at the population between 25 and 64 years old, in order to facilitate lifelong training and adapt it to the needs of the labor market.
“This initiative unites the university much more with the productive sector, since for microcredentials, it is not necessary to previously have a degree or master's degree training,” highlighted Vieira. This future degree from the University of León joins the one that, since last year, has been taught on the Ponferrada campus in Marketing and management of the wine industry.
