In November 2007, Emmaus College was accepted as a Gateway School to the Wine Tourism Industry. This means that the College has been identified as one of thirteen schools in Queensland that will educate and ‘motivate’ young Winemakers and tourism operators for the future. The Wine industry in QLD is a huge component of our economy and employment in this area will be widely sought and available in the near future.
Being a Gateway School links Emmaus to the Queensland College of Wine Tourism in Stanthorpe. The College of Wine Tourism is a state-of-the-art $7.5 million education and training facility. It is located on the campus of Stanthorpe State High School and operates as a Centre of the University of Southern Queensland. The College operates the Banca Ridge winery, cellar door and bistro, conference and function centre as a real industry context for the delivery and vocational education and training. The College is also a research centre for the University of Southern Queensland Faculty of Sciences and operates a commercial grape and wine analysis service in support of the Queensland Wine Industry.
The key role of Gateway Schools is to develop a Wine Tourism Industry links program with the following components:
strategies to attract and identify students with an interest in pursuing a career in the industry
integration of elements of the wine industry across the curriculum
specific curriculum offerings that provide industry-relevant training to Certificate II level in viticulture, food processing (wine), hospitality, tourism
where appropriate, links with local alternative providers eg. TAFE for the delivery of training
strong and effective links with their local wine tourism industry through work experience, structured industry placement, school-based traineeships, cadetships, vacation employment, involvement in industry events etc
links with the Queensland College of Wine Tourism, including access for practical training and orientation to post-compulsory courses.