Minister shares vision for Scotland’s tourism industry
S
TUDENTS FROM THE Hospitality and Tourism
Academy enjoyed a couple of trips to the Scottish
Parliament recently.
In October, Scotland’s Minister for Tourism, Fergus Ewing, invited
the academy students to the Parliament to hear about government
plans for the hospitality and tourism industry in Scotland and to
share his aspirations for the industry’s future.
The Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism is a big supporter
of the highly successful Hospitality and Tourism Academy. He said:
“Some of the industry’s leading employers have participated in the
academy programme and have hailed it as providing the skills and
capabilities they need, which is a huge testament to its success.”
Fergus continued: “Our tourism industry is vitally important to
Scotland’s economy, supporting thousands of jobs and generating
just over £9 billion in revenue every year. With that in mind, it is
essential that the sector benefits from a highly skilled workforce.
The Hospitality and Tourism Academy is a prime example of a
project where young people can learn skills and expertise that the
wider industry can ultimately benefit from.” ❒
Cooking up at storm at the Scottish Parliament
A
NOTHER GROUP OF students from the Hospitality
and Tourism Academy had the chance to serve up
a gourmet meal to the country’s top politicians in
the Members’ Restaurant at the Scottish Parliament. The
students ran the kitchen and front of house at the restaurant
and created an impressive three-course meal to paying
MSPs and their guests.
The MSPs dined on pan-fried pigeon breast with parsnip
puree and nasturtium salad; pork fillet in pinwheel oat crust with
champ mashed potatoes and haricot verts; and white chocolate
cheesecake with passion fruit jelly and passion fruit curd.
Sixteen-year-old Dalkeith High School student Dawn McDermott,
who was working in the front-of-house team, said: “It was a really
good night. The front of house staff and the kitchen worked well
together so it was a brilliant team effort and everyone enjoyed it.
The M SPs were lovely and were chatting to us all about what we
were doing and what we want to do after school. It was such a
good opportunity to experience something totally different from
what we’re used to and we learned a lot.”
Professor Alan Gilloran, QMU’s Deputy Principal, said: “2014 was
fantastic year for our Hospitality and Tourism Academy students.
Showcasing their talents to MSPs and their guests at the Scottish
Parliament was a great way for them to end the year on a high.
“The students really rose to the challenge on the night and thrived
under pressure. Unique practical experiences like this are hugely
valuable to the academy students’ development. They can be
confident that their experiences will help them stand out from the
crowd in this key growth industry by having the specialist skills and
knowledge employers are looking for.” ❒
QMYOU / The Academies
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