Support from the hospitality sector equips
students for industry
T
HE VALUE OF the hospitality and tourism industry to the Scottish
economy is considerable: recent figures suggest it is worth over
than £4.2 billion and employs over 218,000 staff. The targets for
the future as set out by the Government are ambitious, and there is
a growing demand for highly-qualified professionals, at all levels, to
help develop this important industry.
To ensure that students on QMU’s hospitality and events related programmes
are ready for the workplace, we have partnered with some of Scotland’s
leading industry specialists.
Ongoing support from Apex Hotels, Dakota Hotels and the Moffat Trust, as
well as new donations from the Crerar Hotels Trust, The Lord Forte Foundation,
the Scotsman Hotel and the Kitchin Group, are providing students with much
needed financial support as well as vital industry experience and connections.
QMU has delivered elements of hospitality and tourism education for 140
years. Building upon more than a century of experience within the University
and its predecessor institutions, the current hospitality, events and gastronomy
lecturers at QMU consider themselves the custodians of the expertise passed
down from the founders of the former Edinburgh School of Cookery. The
University’s courses today are underpinned by some of the simple philosophies
that were at the heart of the institution’s teaching over a century ago. ❒
Apex Hotels
O
NGOING SUPPORT FROM Apex Hotels
has provided Events Management student
Erin Gilroy with funding towards her
postgraduate studies.
Erin was a previous recipient of the Apex Hotels
Apprentice Award whereby she received funding
towards her undergraduate studies alongside paid
work experience with the hotel group. She then
successfully competed against two other students to
win the enhanced Apex Hotels Dr Norman Springford
Scholarship, which saw her receive further funding to
support her postgraduate studies at QMU.
Erin enthused: “I’ve been able to put into practice a
number of theoretical practices and knowledge I gained
at QMU and transfer them in to a real life situation. The
Scholarship will also be used to further my events
management education.”
The funding from Apex aims to create a new generation
of hospitality leaders who can transform Scotland’s
hospitality industry so that it is a key player on the world
stage. ❒
Crerar Hotels helps
secure university
opportunity for
Lanarkshire student
A
HOTEL ORGANISATION has helped reduce the
financial pressure associated with going to university
by providing a new student from Lanarkshire with a
generous grant. The £8,000 award from The Crerar Hotels
Trust is helping 18 year old Megan Gillis (Falconer) move a
step closer to pursuing the career of her dreams.
Megan is the first person in her family to go to university and
she is delighted to have secured a place on the BA (Hons)
International Hospitality & Tourism Management (IHTM). The
Crerar Hotels Hospitality Bursary will make a significant difference
to Megan’s university experience, allowing her to concentrate
on getting the personal development practical experience and
skills needed to help achieve her career aspirations.
Megan did not think she could afford to go to university until
she heard about the grant, which is helping fund her university
studies at QMU over the next four years. She grew up in a
single-parent family with a low household income, and so she
has first-hand experience of how restricted finances can be a
struggle and limit personal development opportunities.
Despite undergraduate fees for Scottish students being
covered by the Scottish Government, coming to university can
be expensive, particularly if it involves moving away from home.
Even when students have just enough money to live on, a lack
of money can prevent them from participating in educational
projects or exchanges that will enrich their education and make
them more attractive to employers.
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QMYOU / Development & Alumni News