WSET Approved Programme Provider

FAQ

• Cancellations and Refund Policies

  Course Transfers
  Course transfers can be made up to 15 days before the course start date on payment of a $50 administrative fee plus the cost of any additional study materials, which may be required upon course transfer. Course transfers may not be able to be carried forward to a subsequent academic year. Any requests for transfers must be sent in writing via email kelseykr@williamchriswines.com and to info@hcwineacademy.com.
  
  Examination dates are connected to the course onto which you book, and any transfer to an alternative date will incur an administration fee of $50. All examination transfer requests must be made in writing at least 21 business days before the original examination date. Any examination transfer request made within 21 business days will be treated as a re-test with all associated re-testing fees, which are published on our website at www.hcwineacademy.com. Any requests for examination transfers must be sent via email to: kelseykr@williamchriswines.com and to info@hcwineacademy.com.
  
  Student Cancellations
  Students who cancel within 14 business days of registration, and at least 14 business days before the start of the course will receive a full refund of payment minus a $50 non-refundable registration fee, providing any student-received course materials are returned unmarked. Cancellations after this time will forfeit all payments made. Any cancellation requests must be sent via email to: kelseykr@williamchriswines.com and info@hcwineacademy.com.
  
  Cancellations by the APP
  The APP reserves the right to cancel any class session or exam and will strive to do so within 48 hours of the beginning of the class session or exam whenever possible. Upon cancellation, the APP will immediately notify affected candidates. If any candidate is not able to attend the session once it is rescheduled, the student will be considered for a full refund if a suitable alternative is not able to be found.

• Hill Country Wine Academy Candidate Data Processing

  Hill Country Wine Academy Candidate Data Processing
  Due to the nature of the WSET programs, Hill Country Wine Academy may be required to obtain and store certain candidate personal data (e.g., name, individual demographic information, physical or mental health conditions, age, birth date, address, billing information, etc.) about students. Furthermore, the results of assessments and examinations taken by candidates will also be obtained and stored at Hill Country Wine Academy. Select aspects of a candidate’s data must be shared with WSET for assessment and examination processing and result certification, such as email and date of birth. The Candidate’s personal data will only be shared with WSET following both the Hill Country Wine Academy and the WSET Data Protection Policy. For questions about candidate data processing don't hesitate to get in touch with info@hcwineacademy.com.
  
  Data Protection
  To ensure candidate privacy and data collection safety, Hill Country Wine Academy follows the following procedures: 
  - All students have access to Data Collection Policies
  - All candidate data that is collected will be stored in an electronic database accessed by a secure password.
  - Any paper documents with confidential information including exams, candidate numbers, course records, etc. will be held in a locked drawer, which is accessible only by authorized staff of the Hill Country Wine Academy.
  - All data collected by Hill Country Wine Academy is not sold or shared with third parties for marketing purposes.
  
  Please direct all questions about Hill Country Wine Academy’s Data Protection Policy to info@hcwineacademy.com.

• Reasonable Adjustments

  Reasonable adjustments stands for any action(s) that help to reduce the effect of a disability or difficulty that places the candidate at a substantial disadvantage in the assessment situation. All requests for reasonable adjustments must be approved by WSET before an assessment to facilitate fair candidate access to the assessment.
  
  The following are examples of reasonable adjustments as defined by WSET:

  - Changing standard assessment arrangements, for example, allowing candidates extra time to complete the assessment activity;
  - Adapting assessment materials, such as providing materials in large text format.
  - Providing access facilitators during assessment, such as a sign language interpreter or reader.
  - Re-organizing the assessment room, such as removal of visual stimuli for an autistic candidate.
  
  

  Adjustments are put into place to allow fair access to the exam and no adjustments will be given unless they are approved by WSET prior to the assessment in question. To receive approval for a reasonable adjustment request, they must follow the process set forth here. Every candidate will be given the opportunity to make this school aware of their potential need for a reasonable adjustment on the Booking Request Form. Should potential adjustments to the traditional examination format be anticipated due to the student’s stated special need(s) or request(s), the candidate will be contacted by an administrator or educator within the APP to discuss further. During this discussion, the candidate may make an official request for a reasonable adjustment, and the APP will complete a Reasonable Adjustment Application Form for submission to WSET, as long as it is at least 5 weeks prior to the examination in question. During completion of a Reasonable Adjustment Application Form, evidence supporting the request for a reasonable adjustment may be requested of the candidate. Upon receipt of the student's request and requested supporting evidence, the school administrator or educator will submit the Reasonable Adjustment Application Form to WSET, the school’s Examinations Officer, and the school’s Exams Manager. All requests for adjustments must be approved by WSET and the school to maintain a fair exam environment for all.
  
  This APP will maintain a private record of all reasonable adjustment applications. All data collected in communication about reasonable adjustments or form submission for reasonable adjustments will be protected by the standards set forth in the Hill Country Wine Academy WSET Data Protection Policy. Any questions or clarification about the Data Protection Policy should be submitted to info@hcwineacademy.com prior to submitting a Reasonable Adjustments Application Form.