With the coming of age of Asia, Africa and the Middle Eastern markets as tourist destinations and women as an emerging economic force, MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global recently announced the second year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in travel and tourism. The program was launched last year with the intent to empower working women professionals in the travel and tourism sector to stay ahead of industry trends and realize their full potential.
The call for entries for the online graduate program received a significant response from a wide spectrum of the industry last year, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators in the Asia/Pacific. With the success enjoyed by the program last year, it has now been extended to South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
The program comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Executive Diploma of Business Administration and is intended for graduates who want to develop skills in the management and marketing of tourism and travel. 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.
Organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa will be 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.
"We are excited to extend the reach of this scholarship to South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE to allow more women in travel and tourism to benefit from our premium curriculum in business and to stay abreast of industry trends while also managing work commitments and family life," said Dr Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programmes, U21Global. "The overwhelming response to the inaugural program in 2006 gives us reason to believe that this second year of the MasterCard-U21Global Scholarship Program will once again be a resounding success."
"MasterCard has been long committed to women’s advancement and with the tourism industry being one of the most dynamic economic sectors in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, we would like to encourage women in the industry to take this opportunity to upgrade their skills to stay ahead in the evolving tourism landscape," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.
Recipients of the scholarship can enjoy the benefit of studying online and can hence better manage their work and educational commitments. Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global’s website http://www.u21global.edu.sg/mastercard.
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