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Business leaders hail £100,000 employee scholarship scheme

05 Oct 2010

Scotland’s tourism and hospitality industry has welcomed the launch of next year’s £100,000 scholarship scheme for Scottish workers.

 The Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) is set to award 100 Emerging Talent Scholarships during 2011, with places open to all levels and professions within Scotland’s hospitality, tourism, travel, leisure and catering sectors.

 Thanks to the innovative scheme, the chosen employees will benefit from the opportunity to learn for free through workplace experiences in top businesses at home and abroad, as well as on short courses at the world’s best hospitality schools.

 Scottish hospitality leaders believe that the HIT Scholarship scheme will reap huge rewards for many businesses in the tourism industry by raising the professionalism and aspirations of workers.

 Indeed, organisers have claimed that the scholarship scheme, which launched earlier this month, could return more than £1 million a year to Scotland’s £4.1 billion tourism and hospitality sector.

 HIT’s chief executive, David Cochrane, said: “The scholarship scheme … provides long-term benefits for employees, employers and the industry. It’s about broadening horizons and raising the levels of what people think they can achieve – and in the longer-term it will establish a culture of ambition for the industry.”

 To find out more about the application process, which closes on October 31, see http://www.hitscotland.org