College history
The College had its origins in the productive relationship between the Granite Belt wine industry and the Stanthorpe State High school.
Stanthorpe State High School is regarded as a leader in the provision of vocational education in Queensland.
The school provides a comprehensive vocational curriculum leading to national qualifications to Certificate II across nine industry areas. A comprehensive stand-alone workplace-training program has been recognized for over seven years with funding support from the Commonwealth government. The school supports up to 50 school-based trainees placed with local employers. Supporting this curriculum provision, the school has the largest agricultural training facility of any Queensland secondary school with a diverse range of commercial enterprises. It also conducts a well-established commercial catering enterprise, ‘Class Catering', within the tourism and hospitality faculty.
In 1999, local wine industry leaders initiated discussions with the school aimed at identifying and facilitating the recruitment of local school-leavers for the industry. This led to the creation of the Wine Tourism program, a cross-curricular, multi-tiered program linking students to the industry through Years 11 and 12. The program was subsequently recognized in 2001 by Education Queensland as a significant statewide innovation with the awarding of a $30,000 Strategic Initiative grant.
Students in the Wine Tourism program connect with the industry through work experience, career orientation, structured industry placement in tourism, hospitality, horticulture/viticulture, and retail, school-based traineeships and cadetships. The Wine Tourism program represents a strong school-industry partnership, led by a steering committee comprising industry and school personnel since its inception.
As a foundation to the program, the school established a teaching vineyard of 2000 vines, again with the support and backing of local industry, marketing the produce under the registered label ‘Banca Ridge'. As well as providing a training facility for horticulture/viticulture on campus, the teaching vineyard provides a venue for introducing younger students to the wine industry. Local industry strongly supports the school's premise that, for many students, ‘an interest becomes a passion which then becomes a vocation', and these students become quality employees.
Queensland and Commonwealth government support
In 2002, the school made application through the Department of Employment & Training (DET) for skill centre funding under the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA). This application was strongly supported by the department of Education and the Arts, who seconded Stanthorpe High principal John Neville to the position of Project Director for a period of 18 months.
A successful application to ANTA resulted in $1.1 million in Commonwealth funding to the project, which was augmented by an additional $1.3 million from the Department of Education, Training and the Arts and $100,000 from Stanthorpe Shire Council, providing $2.5 million for Stage A. The Queensland Wine Industry Association added a further significant contribution through the donation of some 18,000 bottles of wine in 6 styles labelled as the Banca Ridge Foundation series.
Sod Turning
The first sod for the College of Wine Tourism was turned by the Premier of Queensland, the Hon Peter Beattie, on 18 August 2005 and construction commenced shortly after. Stage A was completed and handed over by Hutchinson Builders on 26 April 2006.
Additional Funding
Whilst Stage A was under construction, additional funding was secured for Stages B, C and D. The University of Southern Queensland successfully applied for $1.67 million from the Commonwealth for Stage D and the Queensland Government contributed a further $1.98 for Stages B and C. Work commenced on these 3 stages simultaneously in April 2006, with a projected completion date of October 2006.
Completion and Official Opening
The college was completed by the end of 2006, and officially opened by the Premier of Queensland, the Hon. Peter Beattie on 20 April 2007.