The Old Mutual Foundation, as part of its responsible business ethos, invested development funding with the Pinotage Youth Development Academy (Pyda) to further job creation and as a result, 50 youths received job opportunities in the wine industry.

According to Millicent Maroga, head of the Old Mutual Foundation, companies need to play an active role in transforming the Western Cape wine industry. “The Academy brings about positive change in the lives of the graduates and contributes to a changing wine landscape in the region. We are proud to support the Pinotage Youth Development Academy and the work they do in creating positive change in the lives of young people. At Old Mutual we believe in not only celebrating outstanding wines, which we do annually as part of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, but skills development is as an important element of all our sponsorships.

“In addition to Pyda, we also support the development of world-class wine judges through the Wine Judging Academy, run with the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. We are also a long-term partner of the Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé Programme through Nedbank, a member of the Old Mutual group.”

Since its inception in 2013 Pyda has produced 122 graduates with a 90% employment rate. During the year-long course, trainees are exposed to a variety of wine industry environments, from pruning the vines and tasting room work to marketing, in order to produce well-rounded graduates able to contribute to the industry.