India and New Zealand Top List of Recipients of MasterCard-U21Global Scholarship Programme for Women in Travel and Tourism
The MasterCard Worldwide-U21Global Scholarship Programme for Women in Travel and Tourism aims to empower working women professionals in the travel and tourism industry to stay ahead of industry trends and realise their full potential.
This year, the scholarship programme received strong interest particularly from women in New Zealand, India and China, with the highest number of applications coming from these markets. New Zealand saw the biggest year-on-year increase in the number of applicants compared to all other markets - over 90% more.
The twenty selected scholarship recipients come from a diverse range of markets, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, UAE, Zambia and Zimbabwe. New Zealand and India topped the recipient list, with four scholarship recipients each, followed by three recipients from Australia and two from China.
This year's cohort of scholars has an average of 12 years work experience in the travel and tourism industry. They work in organisations ranging from national tourism councils, airlines, hotels, travel agencies and travel publications. The majority are in mid-to-senior level managerial positions.
"Working in the travel and tourism industry is so exciting and dynamic, and as a New Zealander it is such a fundamental part of the economy. To me it is essential to gain the right qualification to further enhance my career. The MasterCard-U21Global Scholarship Programme has allowed me to do this and I look forward to the learning ahead," said Sue Mercer, an Account Manager at Air New Zealand.
"This scholarship combined with my eagerness for self-development will go a long way in helping my organisation achieve its corporate objectives. I look forward to interacting with the global student body and learning from the wealth of experience that can only come from a graduate school with students and faculty from different countries and cultures," said Nagalakshmi Nagarathnam, a Manager at the Learning & Development department at Indian Hotels Company Limited.
The programme focuses on diverse aspects of tourism management and helps build a broad understanding of management principles and practices as they apply in the tourism and travel industries. The curriculum has been developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School and U21Global, a leader in offering quality graduate online education to working executives and professionals.
"Many of our 2008 recipients are women in mid-level management positions, who have been in the industry for over a decade, and need an additional and appropriate educational qualification to improve their management capabilities, thereby providing them a boost up the corporate ladder. The Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration from U21Global will help them achieve this," said Dr Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programmes, U21Global.
"We are also very pleased with the fact that we're now seeing applications from the Middle East and Africa. This year, we've awarded the scholarship to a recipient each from Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and the UAE. This reinforces our belief that the travel industry in that region continues to develop and that women are a driving force behind it," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
This year's scholarship recicipents will begin their first class in October. Those interested in more information on U21Global and its programme offerings can log on to www.u21global.edu.sg.
About U21Global
Established in 2001, U21Global is the world's premier online Graduate School that offers globally recognised graduate programmes. The graduate school is backed by an international network of leading research-intensive universities in 11 countries. U21Global combines the traditional quality of its founders with innovative modes of delivery on the Internet, providing students with substantial learning advantages, while balancing work, travel and family life.
U21Global has successfully enrolled students from 60 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The graduate programmes draw upon the best practices in online learning and pedagogy and have been approved by U21pedagogica, an independent quality assurance body which ensures that the curriculum meets the rigorous academic standards of all the affiliated universities. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg
U21Global's affiliated universities include: North America: Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Virginia; Europe: Lund University; University College Dublin, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham; Asia: Fudan University, Korea University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Delhi, University of Hong Kong, Waseda University; Australia: University of Melbourne, University of Queensland.
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 18 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial institution customers and merchants. 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 http://www.mastercard.com.
Contacts:
Georgette Tan, MasterCard Worldwide, georgette_tan@mastercard.com, (65) 6390-5971
Priyia Paramajothi, Weber Shandwick, pparamajothi@webershandwick.com, (65) 6825-8064
Adeline Siaw, U21Global, adeline.siaw@u21global.edu.sg, (65) 6410-1311
Binny Peh, Edelman, binny.peh@edelman.com, (65) 6347 2326
Print
Email a Friend