The teacher Juan Jose Gallego Martinez (IES Emilio Canalejo, Montilla, Spain) teaches Higher Technician in Viticulture. In this editorial explains his experience as a teacher in this sector.

IES Emilio Canalejo (FP Empresa), Spain

Each region, each sector, each company, has its peculiarities, to be able to participate in the idiosyncrasies of each one is basic to know companies. In my opinion, as a VET teacher, treating companies like your clients is a quality step to be able to understand them and thus enhance the employment of students.

In the region and in the sector in which I act (Córdoba area/Andalusia), an agricultural area in which the figure of a man has always been very ingrained, the participation of women in the winery is very low. Making good wine is linked to knowing perfectly the different processes, from the management of the soil to bottling. Therefore the figure of a Higher Technician in Viticulture is indispensable, we understand it from education and so companies understand it. The employment of our students has risen from 10% in 2010 to 90% today. The teamwork that we have developed students, wineries and teachers thanks to the different innovation projects put in place, have been the step of excellence that has led us to success.

Still, there are winemakers who do not want women in their facilities, both in company practices and in the workplace. In my view, accusing and criticizing them is not the right thing to do, ideally teaching them, we are educators, we act as such.

For this reason, we have developed a Project of Integration of Women in the winery called “We are prepared (it was always so), in which my students work as a team with the winemaker, with the same objective and thus be able to prove from the first hand that they are wrong. The results have been spectacular and emotional. They have produced a young wine that has never been seen in the area, have organized different Viticulture Days, they have developed a Marketing Plan for the wineries as well, as an Enotourism Plan; have shown that women are prepared to face all the challenges that arise in a winery.

I could spend a lot of time counting everything we’ve done, but I think it’s better to do it personally and with my students, so I’m willing to tell who you’re interested in that with team projects you get to convince who you don’t believe, you get reverse historical situation and women can be integrated into any productive sector. I am convinced that this project is extrapolated to any sector.