With the travel and tourism industry having undergone significant changes over the last year, it is even more imperative for professionals in this sector to upgrade their skills to face the new challenges and opportunities available. MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global Graduate School today announced the fifth year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship programme for women in the travel and tourism industry. Launched in 2006, the programme aims to empower women executives through education to realise their full potential. Comprised of 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration, the programme is intended for graduates who want to develop skills in the management and marketing of tourism and travel products and programmes. It is designed to provide participants with a solid foundation in core management subjects, and is aimed at providing students with a firm grounding in basic management capabilities. Core subjects include Organisational Behaviour, Finance, Marketing Management and Strategic Management. The course can articulate into the University of Nottingham MSc in Tourism and Travel Management which has been developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School, and U21Global, a leader in quality graduate online education for working executives and professionals. Eighty women have been awarded the scholarship to date, with the scholars coming from a broad spectrum of the industry, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators. The first batch of women graduated from the programme last year, while 9 women are set to graduate this year. All of them are upbeat about their career prospects, recognising the value the programme has ingrained in them as professionals. “My learning experience with U21Global has been extremely enjoyable and has far exceeded my expectations. I found that the online tutorial is well-structured and easy to understand and I gained a lot of work-related knowledge which can be applied to improve my quality of work. I also love the flexibility and convenience of the online environment as it allows me to study anytime anywhere as long as there is an internet connection. The sharing of best work practices with my fellow classmates always gives me great insights to perform my work in a better way. I am sure I can benefit from this course both personally and professionally. I would recommend it for anybody who has the passion to work in the Travel & Tourism Industry and is aiming for better prospects in his or her career life,” said Anna Yip, Sales Development Manager, Air New Zealand.
“Throughout the course, I have been able to expand my strategic thinking and business analytical profile. I have come across some great examples that others are using in their business units and have been able to adapt and apply them to some of the situations that I have come across in my own business units. The team environments on the course give one exposure across cultures, backgrounds and personalities and while frustrating at times, it was a great learning curve working within the teams,” explained Monique Curry, Cluster Revenue Manager, Crowne Plaza East, Intercontinental Hotels Group. “I am very grateful to be a recipient of this scholarship programme as it opened up new opportunities for growth for me. Although it is quite challenging to balance work, family and study, I liked the fact that I could do all of these endeavours simultaneously. I would highly recommend it, especially to those who want immediate application of what they learn in the course to real business settings,” said Anabell Gillespie, Sales Director, Misibis Bay. “Empowering women with management and leadership skills that immediately add value to their contributions at work has always been the aim of MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global. We are very encouraged by the positive responses and feedback from the students and graduates,” said Nick Hutton, Chief Executive Officer of U21Global Graduate School. He added, “Despite the global economic crisis, H1N1 and other challenges, we see huge growth opportunities in tourism. The UN World Tourism Organisation expects the international tourism arrivals to grow by 3 to 4 per cent this year, and Asia to lead the trend with a growth of at least 5 per cent. 1The scholarship by MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global will help prepare these talented women for the massive growth in the tourism industry.” The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global. Recipients of the scholarship can enjoy the benefit of studying online and can hence better manage their work and educational commitments. “The PATA foundation recognises that the MasterCard-U21 programme is of great support to the travel and tourism industry and serves to address an important issue the industry is facing - that of developing a skilled workforce who will bring back their knowledge and expertise to the business. Building upon this, there is an increasing need for the private sector to be more involved in the process of raising standards for the industry,” said Ratana Poopitakchatkaew, Director of Board and Foundations Relations, PATA Foundation. “Women and education have always been key priorities for MasterCard. The recent financial downturn has taught us that there is always a need for professionals to improve themselves and stay ahead, and we are glad that with this programme, we have provided many dedicated women with the chance to do so. We strongly encourage women in the region to apply for this programme and benefit from the various opportunities it affords,” said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
Organisations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific, South Asia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE are invited to nominate female employees. MasterCard and U21Global will institute a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients. Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global’s website http://www.u21global.edu.sg/mastercard. About PATA Foundation PATA Foundation is a US Not-for-Profit Organisation founded in November 1984. Its mission is to contribute to the sustainable and responsible growth and development of travel and tourism in Asia Pacific through the protection of the environment, the conservation of heritage and support for education. In the past 25 years, hundreds of grants and scholarships have been awarded to over 40 destinations in Asia Pacific. For more information about our activities, please visit www.pata.org/foundation or contact our Secretariat Office based in Bangkok, Thailand at foundation@pata.org. About U21Global Established in 2001, U21Global is the world's premier online Graduate School that offers globally recognised graduate programmes. The graduate school is in close partnership and collaboration with four prestigious partner universities - the University of Birmingham, the University of Melbourne, the University of Nottingham and the University of Virginia. U21Global combines the traditional quality of its founders and partners with innovative modes of delivery on the Internet, providing students with substantial learning advantages, while balancing work, travel and family life. Awarded the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) teChnology-Enhanced Learning (CEL) accreditation, U21Global has successfully enrolled students from over 72 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The postgraduate programmes draw upon the best practices in online learning and pedagogy and have been approved by the Academic Senate which ensures that the quality of all U21Global programmes meet the high standards of each partner university. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg About MasterCard Worldwide MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes over 22 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com. Follow us on Twitter:@mastercardnews.
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