Eight new industry scholarships to support the development of people working in the New Zealand hospitality industry were announced at Hospitality New Zealand?s inaugural Future Leaders Day in Queenstown this week. The day was part of Hospitality New Zealand?s annual conference and recognises and supports the development of talent within the industry.
Adam Cunningham, National President of Hospitality New Zealand, explained that the launch of the Hospitality NZ/SKY Future Leader Scholarships was a reflection of his organisation and their partner SKY?s commitment to up-skilling the hospitality industry.
“Our research has shown that one of the top challenges for the hospitality industry is a lack of skilled staff. Our aim is to support and assist hospitality businesses to become more successful and this is one way that we can actively contribute to this, by investing in the people who work in the industry”
Hospitality New Zealand is the largest industry organisation and the only one representing all segments of the hospitality industry. They support their members with free employment and legal advice through their Regional Managers and in-house lawyer, and advocate on their behalf at Government and local level. They also offer their members special savings through their partner relationships, SKY being one of them.
SKY has been a key partner of Hospitality New Zealand for over eighteen years and SKY Business General Manager Grant Mckenzie says
“It?s fantastic that SKY can be involved in such a great initiative, and we are especially pleased that it is in an industry that is quite often not recognised for offering serious career opportunities. Over the years our partnership with Hospitality New Zealand has provided great benefits for their members and the industry in general, and this is another example of one of them.”
The Hospitality NZ/SKY Future Leader Scholarships will be awarded annually, and has a value of up to $3,000 each, which includes $2,000 towards fees for studying the National Diploma in Hospitality Level 5 (Operational Management), and up to $1,000 reimbursement of costs to attend the Future Leaders Day in 2014.
The scholarships are available to anyone working in the hospitality industry who wants to obtain a recognised qualification without leaving their job to study. Employers should look at their staff and encourage future leaders to apply. Applications for the scholarship close on 17 November 2013 with winners announced 2 December 2013.
For an application form or to find more details on the Hospitality NZ/SKY Future Leader Scholarships visit www.hospitalitynz.org.nz/scholarships, phone Hospitality New Zealand on 0800 500 503 or email [email protected]