Scholarships in hospitality

What is a scholarship?

Most scholarships come in the shape of a nice fat cheque – payable to an education body. For instance, a promising student might be awarded a grant towards all - or part - of their training or further education. However, in the hospitality industry the great thing is that scholarships have morphed into training bursaries or prestigious work experience for winners of industry-sponsored competitions.

Note that scholarships shouldn’t be confused with apprenticeships or financial aid such as the Education Maintenance Allowance. You can get more information on these from: http://www.delni.gov.uk

The benefits of being awarded a scholarship

If you’re lucky enough to bag a scholarship, the obvious advantage is that you get either all or some of your college, university or training fees and accommodation paid for – but unlike a regular grant you don’t have to repay it.

In addition, there’s the kudos of having been singled out. Put it on your CV and you’ll be impressing future employers for years, not to mention fast-tracking your career.

It’ll also open doors to exclusive networking clubs. Check out, for instance, the St Julian Scholars, which is the alumni for graduates of the Master Innholders Scholarship Programme.

How to get a scholarship

You need to do a bit of groundwork if you want to apply for a scholarship in the hospitality industry. For a college or university scholarship, your best bet is to do a search on websites such as: http://www.scholarship-search.org.uk.

For career-enhancing scholarships, keep abreast of announcements in the industry press by signing up to the CatererNews Twitter feed or subscribing on the CatererNews site. Alternatively, you can approach the bodies direct (see list of main scholarships).

You may have to apply up to a year in advance, so keep an eye on deadlines
Fill out any application forms clearly and concisely

Each scholarship will have different criteria. You may, for instance, have to:

Make a presentation in person or via video
Write a presentation
Have achieved certain qualifications or grades
Declare your income
Display exceptional skills in your job
Fall into a specific age bracket
Provide references
Win a competition in cooking, service, etc.

What are the main hospitality industry scholarships?

Several universities, such as Thames Valley University and Westminster Kingsway, offer scholarships. For instance, at Westminster Kingsway, there are professional restaurant, patisserie and chef scholarships. All are delivered on a one-week per month basis for two years, with practical experience in a top restaurant during the rest of the time. Your employer pays for your college training – about £1,500.

The Academy of Culinary Arts Specialised Chefs’ Scholarship: More of an advanced apprenticeship, this helps would-be chefs aged 16-19 to achieve NVQ Level 3. It is arranged by the Academy of Culinary Arts and Waitrose, and managed by the Bournemouth & Poole College. All tuition, accommodation and travelling costs to college are paid for. Practical training is provided by top hotels such as the Dorchester in London and Chewton Glen in Hampshire. More information from: www.notgoingtouni.co.uk

The Acorn Scholarship: The aim is to help a young professional aged under 30 to realise their ambitions. The winning scholar of this self-nominated award receives a £2,000 bursary to use with professional development, £1,500 worth of coaching sessions and more. Find out more at: www.acornscholarship.org.uk

Roux Scholarship: The winner of this cooking competition for chefs aged 22-30 trains under a leading chef at a three-Michelin star restaurant in Europe for up to three months - plus other career-enhancing opportunities. www.rouxscholarship.co.uk

Hospitality Industry Trust Scotland’s annual Emerging Talent Scholarship: Every year Scottish hospitality professionals vie for scholarship training at venues such as the Disney Institute in Florida, Ecole du Hotelier in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in New York State. More details on: www.hitscotland.co.uk

Master Innholder Scholarships: Short management courses are funded by the Savoy Educational Trust and Worshipful Company of Innholders. The courses are reviewed each year and are currently offered at Cranfield University in the UK, Cornell University in the USA and L'Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne in Switzerland. Get more info by clicking on to: www.masterinnholders.co.uk or www.mi-scholarships.com

Information for international students

Most scholarships for study in the UK are funded by the British government, but awarded through your own government. Your first port of call, therefore, is your own ministry of education. Alternatively, drop into your local British Council office or British Embassy.

Bear in mind that competition to study in the UK is strong and unless you’re a European Union national you need to secure the scholarship before you’ve left home. Also, you usually have to apply at least one year before your course starts

Get more details on http://www.educationuk.org or http://www.studyoverseas.com/uk/uked/scholarships.htm

Alternatively, research websites relevant to your own country. For instance, Indian students can check out the Uniguru site

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- What's better, exams or experience?