Scholarship Program to Equip Women Executives in Travel and Tourism enters Third Year

MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global have entered the third year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in the travel and tourism industry. The program was launched in 2006 to empower women executives through education to realize their full potential. It comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration.

The program is intended for graduates who want to develop skills in the management and marketing of tourism and travel products and programs. 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 Organizational Behavior, 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.

“Many of the scholarship holders from the last two years are women in middle to senior level management. A number of them have worked up the ranks over the years to get to their current positions. The U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration offers them a solid foundation in business management and a recognized qualification which will give them an additional competitive edge as they make the next leap up the corporate ladder,” said Dr. Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programs, U21Global.

Since its inauguration, 40 women have been awarded the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in travel and tourism. The scholars are professionals from a broad spectrum of the industry, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators.

Jigna Parekh, Assistant Manager - Corporate Travel, Thomas Cook (I) Ltd, India, said, “The program has been a great learning experience for me. I have been able to immediately apply the knowledge gained to my current job and today I am in a better position to understand the views of my colleagues and management team. I am now also able to develop innovative ideas for the progress of our products and services as well Scholarship Program to Equip Women Executives in Travel and Tourism Sector with Skills to Climb Corporate Ladder better understand the macro strategy of the tourism and travel market. I am confident that this scholarship will help me make a mark in the tourism and travel industry and realize my full potential.”

Anna Y.K. Kim, Training Manager, Park Hyatt Seoul, Korea added, “I aspire to advance in my chosen career in hospitality and thanks to the program I am now closer towards realizing my goals. U21Global offers high quality learning solutions, backed by an international and experienced faculty. I look forward to completing my graduate program and putting what I have learnt into practice.”

Students access online classrooms which provide course content and a variety of interactive communication features, including message boards, threaded discussions and chat rooms. This special online learning community allows scholars to have access to a wide range of speakers and mentors, and creates additional networking opportunities. Studying online also helps scholars better manage their work and educational commitments.

“Online study is the ideal mode of study for airline employees as it gives us the ability to balance study, our careers and social commitments. U21Global offers valuable and insightful course content to give us practical skills for immediate application. I am able to share experiences with students from all over the world. The ability to learn and acquire new management skills while under employment is definitely a big plus for me and my employer,” said Eunkyung Lee, Assistant Manager, Sales & Marketing Communications, Cathay Pacific Airways, Korea.

The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide.

“MasterCard is committed to women’s advancement and we would like to encourage women in the travel and tourism industry to upgrade their skills and meet their professional goals through this scholarship program. We’d especially like to encourage more women from the Middle East and South Africa to apply this year,” said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

Organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia Pacific, South Asia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are invited to nominate female employees who they believe will most benefit from the learning and exposure offered by such a scholarship. MasterCard and U21Global will institute a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients. Closing date for applications is 30 June 2008.

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