Cabrillo College has become the first California community college to award college credit for Wine & Spirit Education Trust certifications, allowing students and working wine professionals to finish degrees and certificates more quickly.
The new pathway is offered through California’s Credit for Prior Learning program, which gives students academic credit for verified knowledge and skills gained outside a traditional college classroom.
Students in Cabrillo’s Wine Studies program can apply qualifying WSET certifications toward an Associate in Science degree or Certificate of Achievement. Wine professionals who earned the certifications before enrolling at Cabrillo may also receive college credit.
“This program fast-tracks the completion of degrees and certifications to help students reduce costs and advance their careers,” said Deborah Parker Wong, DipWSET, an associate instructor in wine studies. “I’m proud Cabrillo College is the first to offer a pathway that awards academic equivalency for wine industry trade certifications. With the A.S. degree, students can complete a four-year wine studies program at a UC or CSU in record time.”
Cabrillo introduced its Wine Studies Associate in Science degree in 2024. The new credit pathway is the program’s latest step toward connecting college education with professional training used in the wine industry.
WSET’s Level 3 Award in Wines is an advanced certification recognized around the world. The program covers wine-production methods, growing regions and the business factors that influence wine styles, quality and prices.
Students must pass a two-part examination that includes a written theory test and a blind wine tasting.
Cabrillo graduate Celeste Leon became the first student to use a WSET certification to complete the remaining units required for both an associate degree and a Certificate of Achievement in Wine Studies.
“We currently have half a dozen graduates and several more in the pipeline. Celeste will be our first to use CPL to complete the degree and a certificate,” Parker Wong said.
Leon began taking Cabrillo wine studies classes in spring 2024 and earned the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines in spring 2026.
“Through this program, I achieved an academic degree with the help of my trade certification, which made it easier for me to find jobs in the wine industry,” Leon said. “Cabrillo College’s wine program teaches the Systematic Approach to Tasting, which I used to analyze over 200 wines for customers in my wine club. The program also teaches wine styles in the most notable wine growing regions in the world. I can now share my knowledge with clients and consumers, make excellent recommendations for purchasing wine, and order excellent quality for value wines in my retail job.”
Leon previously worked as a physical therapist but changed careers after a serious shoulder injury limited her ability to continue that work. Wine had long been an interest, and the injury prompted her to begin a new career.
She is now a wine steward and manages a wine club with more than 400 members at the Truckee Grocery Outlet. She also works as a tasting room associate at Truckee River Winery and writes about wine and the wine industry for Tahoe Quarterly.
“By assisting with winemaking at Truckee River Winery, I made the transition from the classroom to the barrel room,” Leon said. “I was duly impressed with the exceptional quality of education at Cabrillo College and the dedication of the faculty.”
Cabrillo College Foundation President Julie Thiebaut is also a graduate of the college’s wine program. She began taking wine classes after retiring from a career as a financial-services executive.
“I took my first wine class at Cabrillo College after retiring early from years as an executive in financial services. I didn’t know much about wine,” Thiebaut said. “Three friends and I decided to take an Intro to Wine class. That first class piqued my interest, then my passion and that turned into three classes, then five, then eight, and then certifications.”
Thiebaut has since judged wine competitions, consulted and worked for wineries and joined the advisory board for Cabrillo’s Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management program.
“As a graduate of Cabrillo College’s excellent wine program, I can attest to the doors that certification has opened,” she said. “This new CPL initiative builds on that and will benefit students even more. I’m pleased to see that Cabrillo College is out in front on initiating this in the state of California.”
The California Community Colleges Credit for Prior Learning Initiative is a state-funded program designed to recognize knowledge gained through work, professional training, apprenticeships, military service and other experiences outside the classroom.
The statewide initiative aims to award prior-learning credit to at least 250,000 working adults, apprentices and military veterans by 2030. Its goals include helping students complete degrees faster and improving their economic opportunities.
Cabrillo is also expanding Credit for Prior Learning opportunities in accounting, Fire Technology, construction, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration, culinary arts and computer technology.