These days, it can be difficult to get any job without that piece of paper – a degree, diploma, certificate or license that states someone is capable to do the job and is worthy of a particular salary range.

There are numerous educational resources available for those interested in gaining professional prestige in the beer, wine and spirits industries – courses with real possibilities to acquire work in the beverage world, often in very respectable roles.

Bettering oneself and the whole industry

Across Canada, many people starting in the industry need the provincial serving certification – Ontario’s Smart Serve, Alberta’s ProServe, etc. – to be considered for any alcoholic beverage job.

“Any level of possession [of a beverage education certification] is vital on one’s resume,” said Roger Mittag, founder and CEO of the Prud’homme Beer Certification course, Canada’s top beer education program. “From retail like the LCBO [Liquor Control Board of Ontario] to the brewing industry to certain training, there are chances to further one’s education. About one quarter of the student body in the Prud’homme [program] are consumers that simply want to transition into the beverage industry and need at least the vocabulary to succeed within it.”

“You need to have a trade-focused organization,” said Paul Miles, executive director of the Independent Wine Education Guild (IWEG). “That’s what we offer: a not-for-profit school that is professionally goal-oriented in nature, has strong product knowledge and works to help students realize their professional goals.”

“About one-quarter of the student body in the Prud’homme [program] are consumers that simply want to transition into the beverage industry and need at least the vocabulary to succeed within it.”

Roger Mittag, Prud’homme Beer Certification

Since its establishment in 1977 by a group of LCBO employees, IWEG, like Prud’homme, was founded on industry people wanting to improve industry excellence. In the decades since its inception, IWEG has diversified its educational portfolio.

“We realized we had to offer further education to particular students, so now we offer courses in wine, spirits, sake and, most recently, beer,” Miles said.

Rigorous yet rewarding

While it’s true that the alcohol education courses can be fun, they are far from traditional coursework.

“The Prud’homme course is four levels,” said Mittag. “The first level covers ingredients, brewing, pouring, serving, glassware, how to serve – the fundamentals. But in level two, there is more in-depth studying of beer history and ingredients, plus insights into Canadian beer trends and profitability. By part three, the student is into sensory evaluation, doing blind taste testing and understanding the malting process, yeast and going [on] tours of yeast labs and micro-malters.”

By the end of the four levels, students must show what they have learned to their instructor. “At level four, we cover beer and food pairing with a project on portfolio management,” said Mittag.

Students can expect similar levels of study at IWEG. “We offer a two-year, quasi-university course,” Miles said. “It’s rigorous, but we cover everything: drink history, production techniques, types of wine and spirits, tasting education and the ability to make recommendations in any professional beverage setting.”

What’s in store

There are rewards to having beverage education under one’s belt.

“The current head buyers of the LCBO are mostly WSET [Wine & Spirit Education Trust] level four,” Miles said. “That and other consultants to the wine industry are level three. Now, in the post-COVID-19 era, wine education is often required in restaurants. It’s been tough for both parties to operate and some students to attend, but there are opportunities for the restaurants and establishments subsidizing their workers’ drink education.”

Today’s graduates of spirits education have a lot of opportunities, but must be ready to both study and work hard.

”It’s rigorous, but we cover everything: drink history, production techniques, types of wine and spirits, tasting education and the ability to make recommendations in any professional beverage setting.”

Paul Miles, Independent Wine Education Guild

“I had a natural palate for tasting, but all the theory study was so exacting and specific,” said Tess Krossing-Masse, certified sommelier and events planner at Steam Whistle Brewing in Toronto. “The memorization of all the facts one needs to really know was difficult.”

Coming from a family of winemakers, Krossing-Masse developed a love of wine tasting early and was able to take a wine-beer-spirits course during her tenure studying events management at George Brown College. Eventually, she gained her sommelier designation via the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and began working in city wine bars while also freelancing as a sommelier at events.

“You’re providing knowledge to attendees,” she said. “I encourage aspiring sommeliers to try things. For young people, I try to gauge their knowledge and recommend which direction they need to take their education. For example, Grape Witches in Toronto, where they can sample wine and get some education too. For older aspirants, say 50-year-olds, I point them to Wine Academy or Vintage Conservatory to whet their palates.”

Also in lieu of the post-pandemic marketplace, there are options for study interfaces. “We had to put Prud’homme into an online format,” Mittag said. “It took a while and the first three levels are live, but level four can be done virtually. That’s something new we added.”

Like the industry it represents, Canadian beverage education is study with heart.

“When you see the light going on in a student’s head, that they understand the intricacies of what they’ll be working with, and getting rid of the myths they might have had beforehand, that’s a real reward for us,” said Mittag.

“We want to be inclusive and welcoming to lay people,” said Miles. “Courses help others get ahead in their careers. It gives them power and [students] can get ahead in what they love to do.”