The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Level One and Level Two awards in beer are now officially recognised by Ofqual, two years after the introduction of the qualifications. 

The WSET said that the recognition will help strengthen the profile of the courses across key markets. 

The fourth qualification category – following wine, spirits and sake – the education provider said that the beer programme has expanded to over 50 course providers worldwide since its inception. 

Within this, the UK and the US are currently the leading markets for the beer qualifications, followed by Hong Kong, Canada and India. 

Companies such as Asahi UK, Heineken UK, Molson Coors, the Guinness Storehouse and Lucky Saint have also started to incorporate the WSET beer qualifications into professional development programmes. 

On this, Alessandro D’Amico, senior brand manager at Heineken UK, said: “We chose WSET’s beer qualification because it offered our team a globally recognised standard of training that goes beyond brand knowledge. It’s helped build real confidence in talking about beer, improved our team’s tasting skills, and created a stronger culture of beer appreciation within the business.” 

Paul Rudge, beer and cider champion at Molson Coors, said: “WSET allows us to really focus on the properties of the beer. And it does so in a standardised, objective way with the systematic approach to tasting.” 

Meanwhile, Mirella Amato, WSET senior business development manager for beer, said: “I’m delighted to see so many schools joining us in bringing WSET beer qualifications to students all around the world. These courses are designed to empower those who enjoy and work with beer, and I believe the confidence and enthusiasm that beer education fosters are key to the growth of our industry.”