Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), the global leader in drinks education, has seen a 15% increase in candidates for its Level 4 Diploma in Wines course globally. A total of 134,000 candidates took a WSET qualification last year—its second highest number of annual candidates to date—with its Diploma course showing the biggest increase across its courses. The total figure includes 1,962 candidates from 19 countries who took a Diploma exam during the last academic year. Top markets for the Diploma were the UK, the U.S., Hong Kong, Japan and Mainland China. The news was announced as WSET prepared to celebrate its 55th anniversary with a special dinner event in September at the Vintners’ Hall in London, hosted by the Vintners’ Company.