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Panama Wine Academy (PWA) is committed to making your experience as good as possible. However, if you have a complaint, then PWA aims to listen and respond to you quickly, as set out below.
We welcome your feedback and will always strive to listen and improve our service accordingly.
If you register a formal complaint through our complaints procedure, we will aim to deal with it properly and promptly. We will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within two working days and resolve it within 20 days of receipt of the complaint.
If the complaint is complex, and likely to take longer than 20 days to resolve, then PWA will notify you, outlining the reasons, and with a new expected date / outcome.
PWA will manage all complaints with care and will treat you with respect and courtesy. We expect the same in return, to resolve the complaint smoothly and professionally. PWA will keep a record of the complaint for three years.
As an APP Panama Wine Academy (PWA) is required to identify to WSET and assist in managing or monitoring actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest (‘Conflicts of Interest’) involving both APP staff and students. This policy complements WSET’s conflicts of interest policy and works to safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications and promote confidence in WSET and PWA processes and procedures.
This policy applies to all PWA staff and students and to any individual acting on behalf of PWA.
A Conflict of Interest exists where an individual has interests or loyalties that could adversely influence their judgement, objectivity or loyalty to WSET or PWA when conducting activities associated with WSET qualifications.
Examples of Conflicts of Interest include:
Some of these Conflicts of Interest are manageable and therefore acceptable. For example, if family member of one of PWA’s educators or APP staff takes a qualification and exam through PWA, or when an employee of PWA, or of the WSET, takes a WSET qualification through PWA, we can notify WSET in advance and work with them to put in place measures to maintain the integrity of the exam.
Some Conflicts of Interest are not manageable and are not acceptable. For example, no mitigation efforts overcome the conflict created when a single individual serves as the educator and exam officer of an exam for a family member where an external invigilator is not available.
Any staff member or student of PWA who becomes aware of a Conflict of Interest must inform Dieter Ploeger (dieter@panamawineacademy.com) as soon as possible. Dieter Ploeger will inform the WSET of the possible conflict of interest and will work with WSET to put any protective or mitigating measures in place to manage the conflict on a case-by-case basis. If WSET and PWA determine the conflict is not manageable, Dieter Ploeger will inform any impacted APP staff or students.
Please note that the failure to declare a conflict of interest may have consequences for the student or PWA because we are required to report conflicts to WSET.
Privacy Policy for Panama Wine Academy
At panamawineacademy.com, accessible via www.panamawineacademy.com, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that are collected and recorded by panamawineacademy.com and how we use it.
If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us at info@panamawineacademy.com.
3.1 Categories of personal data
To be able to support our (potential) customers as well as possible, it is necessary for us to collect/process certain data, including personal data. Personal data is all data that can be traced back to a natural person. The personal data that we (generally) process are:
– First and last name;
– Address;
– Telephone number;
– Gender;
– Date of birth;
– (Personal) e-mail address.
– Health data/documentation associated with reasonable adjustment and special considerations request
Panama Wine Academy only stores and uses the personal data that are provided directly by you, for example when filling in a registration form. PWA will share personal data with WSET who will handle this in accordance with WSET’s Privacy Policy.
3.2 Log Files
panamawineacademy.com follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. This is standard practice for hosting companies and forms a part of hosting services’ analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users’ movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.
Like any other website, panamawineacademy.com uses ‘cookies’. These cookies are used to store information including visitors’ preferences and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users’ experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors’ browser type and/or other information.
Third-party ad servers or ad networks apply technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on panamawineacademy.com which are sent directly to users’ browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
Note that panamawineacademy.com has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
3.5 Third Party Privacy Policies
Panamawineacademy.com’s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.
You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To learn more about cookie management with specific web browsers, please visit their respective websites.
3.6 Online Privacy Policy Only
This Privacy Policy only applies to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website regarding the information they share and/or collect on panamawineacademy.com. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its Terms and Conditions.
Panama Wine Academy welcomes applications from all potential students over the age of 18. PWA will treat all students equally, regardless of their race, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, culture or any other characteristic that might be discriminated against.
Panama Wine Academy has a zero tolerance policy regarding discrimination and students engaging in discriminatory behaviour will be denied further participation in the course.
If you have additional questions about this, do not hesitate to contact us at info@panamawineacademy.com.
Both WSET and PWA want to make WSET assessments accessible for all students, so none are at an advantage or disadvantage based on a disability or differing ability. This policy and the reasonable adjustment process allows PWA to work with you, our student, before an assessment to gather the information we need to submit a request to WSET and work with them to make arrangements that give students access to WSET qualifications.
A reasonable adjustment is any accommodation or arrangement that helps to reduce the effect of a known disability or difficulty that substantially disadvantages a student’s assessment. Using a reasonable adjustment does not impact how WSET grades your exam, or your result. It should be noted that WSET cannot agree to reasonable adjustments where your particular characteristic or condition directly affects performance necessary to complete the assessment outcomes (e.g. dyslexia). The goal of a reasonable adjustment is to give you equal access to a WSET qualification, not to give unfair advantages over other students who take an assessment without the same adjustment, or to affect the overall reliability of the assessment outcomes that are explained in the Course Specification.
Examples of reasonable adjustments may be:
PWA will gather the information we need from you to submit a Reasonable Adjustment Application form to WSET. WSET must approve and arrange reasonable adjustments before the assessment activity takes place. Before completing enrolment with PWA, we will give all students access to this policy and the chance to identify any special needs that could require a reasonable adjustment. If a student identifies a special need, PWA will give the student the Reasonable Adjustment Application form as soon as possible and work with the student to gather the necessary information.
For any student seeking a reasonable adjustment, please contact PWA at info@panamawineacademy with:
You must submit this information at least 30 working days before the exam date for Levels 1-2 qualifications. The information you submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.
PWA is required to keep records of all reasonable adjustment applications.
Special consideration is any adjustment given to a student who has temporarily experienced an illness or injury, or other event outside of their control at the time of the exam that significantly affects their ability to take the exam or their ability to show their knowledge and understanding in the assessment. Special consideration is only for things that happen immediately before or during an exam that have a material impact on your, the student’s, ability to take the exam or on your performance. To be eligible for special consideration, you must have completed the whole course and would have been fully prepared if not for the temporary illness, injury or other uncontrollable event. A special consideration may be for an individual (e.g. a student becomes ill the day of the exam) or a group of students (e.g. an exam is interrupted by a natural disaster).
You may be eligible for special consideration if:
Applying for special consideration
If you have taken an exam, or your exam is immediately approaching, and you feel that you have a temporary injury or illness, or other uncontrollable event that has interfered with your ability to complete your exam, please contact Dieter Ploeger (dieter@panamawineacademy.com) as soon as possible. Dieter will provide you with a Special Consideration Application Form, which must be completed and returned with supporting documentation within 5 working days after the effected exam. The information you submit will be shared with WSET and will be handled under WSET’s Privacy and Data Protection Policy.
If there has been serious disruption during an exam affecting a group of students, Panama Wine Academy (PWA) will submit a detailed report of the circumstances and candidates affected to WSET to request a special consideration.
PWA will keep records of all applications for special consideration.
Both PWA and WSET have policies and procedures in place to protect WSET students and safeguard the integrity of WSET qualifications. PWA ensures compliance with PWA and WSET’s policies through this Malpractice and Maladministration Policy, which gives a framework for both us and you to identify, report and manage potential malpractice or maladministration.
Non-compliance with PWA or WSET Policies and Procedures can fall into two distinct, but related, categories:
Context is important and the line between maladministration or malpractice is not always clear: for example, maladministration incidents may become malpractice (e.g. if you fail to implement corrective measures, repeat the same or similar incident, or attempt to misrepresent or hide information during an investigation); or there may be mitigating factors that turn potential malpractice into maladministration. Though malpractice and maladministration are distinct concepts, they can shade into one another. Malpractice and maladministration are always case, context and fact specific. Both APPs and students can commit malpractice and maladministration.
There are many ways that malpractice or maladministration could occur, including new ways we have not seen yet. But some examples of malpractice or maladministration include:
For APPs:
For students:
In general, we expect that both PWA staff and our students should treat others and be treated professionally and respectfully at all times. We will treat inappropriate behaviour including verbal or physical abuse, persistent or unrealistic demands, or threats that cause stress to staff as misconduct and may report student misconduct to WSET as necessary.
Reporting and Investigation of Malpractice or Maladministration
As an APP, we aim to ensure compliance with WSET Policies and PWA policies and will keep records of potential or actual malpractice or maladministration by you, our students, or our staff.
We are required to notify WSET immediately of any non-compliance issues that could be malpractice or maladministration, so that WSET can investigate the non-compliance under their own Malpractice and Maladministration Policy.
We ask that you also raise any concerns or non-compliance issues that may be malpractice or maladministration with PWA as soon as possible by following the process outlined in our Complaints policy.
During WSET’s investigation, they may reach out to PWA or to you directly to request further information or conduct an interview. Please respond to any requests promptly and honestly.
Managing Non-Compliance
WSET will consider all relevant information on a case-by-case basis, balancing the facts with potential or actual effects, and against the seriousness of the sanctions against those effects. WSET records all malpractice and maladministration incidents for both APPs and students. If WSET determines that a student has committed malpractice or maladministration, they may apply one or any of the following sanctions:
Written Warning | The student is issued a written warning that if the offence is repeated within a set period of time then further specified sanctions will be applied. |
Exam Result Declared Null and Void | A student’s exam result is disallowed. This may include invalidation and recall of a certificate already issued. |
Disqualification from a Qualification | The student is disqualified from participating in the concerned qualification with immediate effect and further excluded from participating in any further WSET qualifications for a period of 12 months. |
Student Disqualification | The learner is disqualified from participating in any courses or assessments leading to WSET qualifications. |
Appeals
If you wish to appeal penalties or sanctions WSET has imposed due to Malpractice or Maladministration, please follow the procedures laid out in WSET’s Complaints Policy
We assure to do our utmost to not engage in any malpractice or maladministration as a WSET APP. If students believe PWA has done so and it has (negatively) affected them, students are invited and encouraged to file a complaint (see Complaints Procedure).
Your course booking is not secure until full payment has been received. PWA does not accept provisional bookings.
Online payments will be accepted and bank details will be supplied at request, via the links on the Panama Wine Academy website. Deposits and cash payments are also viable options
Panama Wine Academy will confirm the booking by email.
A full refund will be given to candidates who cancel their registration within 14 calendar days after confirmation by PWA. After 14 days, it is not possible to cancel the registration. It is also not possible to cancel the registration within 14 days prior to the starting date of the course. However, if a candidate wants to cancel the course, PWA will try its best to sell this person’s place on the course. If successful, the candidate will receive a full refund.
In case of a serious incident, exceptions can be made. PWA holds the right to request written proof of the reason for cancelation.
In case of any cancelation from the side of Panama Wine Academy, PWA retains the right to cancel the course and offer candidates an alternative date. If candidate cannot attend the course at the alternative date, a full refund will be issued.
If you would like to contact us concerning any matter relating to this Refund Policy, you may send an email to info@panamawineacademy.com.
This document was last updated on February 21, 2024.
The copyright of the WSET study package rests with the WSET in London. These materials are only intended for the participant who has paid PWA for the course. It is not allowed to copy or distribute the WSET course material or to distribute the material without written consent by the WSET.
The copyright of the hand-outs, visual material, presentations and other course material rests with PWA.
PWA commits to answering all questions regarding the course or questions of an administrative nature within 14 days. If more time is required, PWA will notify you and set a new deadline.
