EVENTS
CALENDAR

The Grampian Dinner

28th October 2010
Find Out More

The Edinburgh Lunch

5th November 2010
Find Out More

The London Lunch

25th November 2010
Find Out More

The Christmas Party

2nd December 2010
Find Out More

Record Scholarship Scheme to Inspire Hospitality Industry

11th February 2009

Hotel staff, chefs, other hospitality workers and students gathered in Glasgow’s Old Fruitmarket today for the country’s only event to encourage talent in the hospitality industry. The annual Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland Emerging Talent Conference awards prestigious scholarships to local and international locations to improve standards in Scotland’s £4.2 billion hospitality industry.

A record 200 HIT Scotland scholarships were given out to people from 80 organisations. The fully paid for scholarships are designed to help improve standards held by the one in ten Scottish workers employed in the tourism, leisure, travel and the hospitality industry. By encouraging leadership and broadening horizons, HIT Scotland aims to encourage a service orientated culture.

HIT Scotland vetted over 400 applicants to find possible future industry leaders to receive the scholarships. From recognising just eight scholars in its first year, the scheme, which is now in its fifth year, has awarded over 500 scholarships. This scholarship programme costs the charitable organisation around £250,000. It is estimated to be worth nearly £1 million in terms of training, staff retention and future income to Scottish industry.

Scholarships are arranged for each individual. Work placements are with some of the UK’s best companies, including those owned by Gordon Ramsay. Other placements are with whisky experts, high profile event organisers and other experts in their field. Some Scholars also spend time in the Jumeirah group’s six and seven star resorts in Dubai.

The scholarships also take people to learning institutes across the world. These include the Ecole du Hotelier in Lausanne, Europe’s finest hospitality school, and to Florida to attend the Disney Institute. One scholar has won a place to Ivy League Cornell University’s General Managers Programme, the world’s best course for hotel managers.

Over quarter of all the scholars are enrolled in a college course. Either in full time education or alongside paid employment, students at thirteen different learning institutes received a scholarship. HIT Scotland recently donated a £100,000 bursary to colleges and universities to help young Scots struggling to pay for essential equipment or suffering financial hardship.

The Scholarship scheme is paid for through corporate sponsorship from companies including Brakes, Enterprise Rent a Car and caterer.com. Money is also raised through industry such as the industry dinner held in April.

During the conference, over 450 delegates heard from Guy Crawford, Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Group, the company behind six and seven star resorts in Dubai who are planning to open a hotel in Glasgow; Charan Gill MBE, Glasgow's ‘Curry King' and Mick Jackson, leader of the Wildhearts Foundation, an entrepreneur and philanthropist.

According to David Cochrane, Chief Executive of HIT Scotland, raising standards is important for Scotland’s economy, “Scotland has unique beauty and heritage. But if visitors leave with a negative perception because of poor service then it damages our reputation forever. The scholarship scheme is an industry led initiative to tackle this head on. Only by raising standards can the long term benefit of marketing campaigns, such as Homecoming 2009, be realised.”

Back