Olds College is looking for applicants to its new brew master program, as long as they’re 19.
The two-year diploma program has received a steady stream of inquiries from industry and prospective students since the Olds, Alta., college announced the program earlier this year, said program co-ordinator Peter Johnston-Berresford.
The school started accepting applications last week for the program’s first class, which begins in September 2013.
Twenty-four students will be admitted to the program, and Johnston-Berresford is expecting stiff competition for those spots from a wide range of applicants, both young and old, who are embarking on their first or maybe even their fourth career.
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“I’ve had mature individuals who are saying, ‘listen, I don’t want to be an office worker anymore, man. I’ve always been an avid home brewer, what do I need to do?’ “ said Johnston-Berresford.
The school is encouraging applicants to gain industry experience before applying.
“What’s more important is you have the right mindset and that’s somebody who’s more than just a beer drinker because that’s like half the bloody planet, right?” said Johnston-Berresford.
“The thing that we want is people who feel the call, feel the need to do this.”
Classes will cover the art of craft brewing, the science and engineering behind the practice and the sales and marketing aspects of the business.
Students will gain experience manufacturing beer in a new teaching brewery on campus and receive feedback on the product as it’s sold through restaurant and retail outlets.
“There’s no point in us putting together a program that graduates students for which there will be no positions,” said Johnston-Berresford.
“I can tell you right now we know darn well that there will be positions in all aspects of the brewery related industry.”
The program is an expansion of one started by Ontario’s Niagara College and developed with input from the Canadian Food and Wine Institute.
It is a departure for a college known for its agriculture, animal science and horticulture programs.
Olds is probably the only school to house both a brewery and a meat processing program complete with a kill floor.
Johnston-Berresford, a horticulturalist, is in charge of launching the program, but a faculty, including a brew master and instructors with industry experience, will be in place for the fall.
“We’re not just going to do this off the side of our desk,” he said.
