The first scholarships were awarded in January 2017. Named grants, as well as the opportunity to practice at the winery, were received by 4-year students of the Institute of Food and Processing Industry of Kuban State Technical University. The first place was taken by Ekaterina Yudina, the second was Elena Roshchina, in third place - Ekaterina Ryabenko.

"Students will be able to see on the territory of a private winery an equipped advanced enterprise - the best and modern that is today in winemaking. In addition, it will provide an opportunity for our students to deepen their knowledge of the profession and apply them in practice, "said the rector of the Kuban State Technical University V. Lobanov.

This is the first experience of such a program. And he has already shown success in increasing the interest of students in winemaking, which in the future will increase the number of talented local young professionals in the industry.

"Such a program is an excellent opportunity for students in a professional way. After all, it's one thing when they study all production processes in theory, and quite another, when they get an opportunity to visit the winery, see everything live, "said Vera Strukova, head of the department of winemaking and brewing at the Kuban State Technological University.

"The program on the one hand showed great interest among students in their future profession, and on the other - revealed a number of issues in the training system that require changes and improvements, in order to improve the competitiveness of graduates in the labor market. Vanda Botnar, Production Director of Kuban-Vino, made a big contribution to the project, her communication with students became very productive and allowed the children to become more aware of the peculiarities of their chosen profession, "said Eduard Dolgin, the head of special projects of Kuban-Vino.

The project was implemented with the support of the association of wine growers and winemakers of the Krasnodar Territory.