Distell awards career bursaries

Published: 23 July, 2008

Distell awards the first of its bursaries to help the disadvantaged develop a career in the wine and spirit sector.

The South African wine company awarded the Drostdy-Hof Bursaries to three chemical engineering students enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch.

The scheme will enable the students to develop their studies and gain experience at Distell with opportunities for full-time employment once they have completed their studies.

Gary Greenfield, Distell Europe's managing director, said: "There are certain skills shortages in South Africa's wine industry, yet there are so many young South Africans who are very talented and want to pursue careers in this field.

"We are hoping that our bursaries can help these young enthusiastic individuals take their studies further and join South Africa's wine industry."

In addition to the bursary, the company is also involved in other forms of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) in South Africa.

BEE makes agricultural land accessible to black entrepreneurs, provides skills development and a long term supply contracts to help the new enterprises succeed and flourish.

"As well as being a social and political priority in South Africa, our support for BEE has a commercial benefit to the company, as economically active citizens of South Africa might expand the domestic market for our more premium products."

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