Press Office |
|
Sydney, 26 May 2009 - MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global today announced the fourth year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in the travel and tourism industry. MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program was launched in 2006 to empower women executives through education to realise their full potential. It comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration. Last year, three outstanding Australian women were included among a talented pool of 20 scholarship recipients from the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region:
Sydney-based, Air New Zealand Airport Operations Manager, Kathryn Thwaites, has worked in the travel and tourism industry for 29 years and has always dreamed of developing her skills and expertise to strengthen her career prospects. With the grant received from MasterCard, she found the support needed to make her dream a reality. "It is so exciting that MasterCard and U21Global have made this scholarship available to women, so together we can make a mark on the future of the travel industry." Kathryn has spent the past seven years in a position which requires attention to detail, customer service excellence, negotiation skills and the management of critical systems including aircraft arrival/departures. She is now applying her extensive knowledge from her years at Air New Zealand in a learning environment which, she says, will add another layer to her skill sets, including business management skills. "This program, I believe, will give me the foundation required to be a better manager in my current role. Together, this education, along with my experience in the airline and retail travel industry will enable me to progress to higher management positions." 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 equip students with a firm grounding in basic management capabilities. Core subjects include Organisational Behavior, Finance, Marketing Management and Strategic Management, as well as tourism-specific subjects like Service Quality in Travel and Tourism and Understanding the Tourism Consumer. Kathryn also believes that the investment that MasterCard and U21Global are injecting into the industry via support of women professionals is going to make a long-term impact. "This is an exciting and ever-changing industry that requires motivated, switched-on and passionate people who believe in themselves. MasterCard and U21Global's investment in people is unique, empowering and critical to long-term industry success. I believe the future of this industry depends on flexible thinking, listening to both our customers and staff, and the ability to move with the times." "As women take on leadership roles within the travel and tourism industry, they can upgrade their skills and fast-track their career development through the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program. We are delighted to be supporting the program again this year as a part of our broader commitment to women’s advancement and strongly encourage women in the region to apply for the scholarships," said Michelle Pilot, vice president, Brand Marketing, MasterCard Worldwide. The course was developed by U21Global, a leader in quality graduate online education for working executives and professionals in conjunction with the Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School. Students completing the Diploma can qualify for the University of Nottingham Master of Science in Tourism and Travel Management The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide. Since its inauguration, 60 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. Recipients of the scholarship can enjoy the benefit of studying online and can hence better manage their work and educational commitments. Organisations from the travel and tourism industry across Australia are invited to nominate female employees. MasterCard and U21Global will bring together a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients from throughout the APMEA region. The deadline for nominations is June 30, 2009.Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global's website http://www.u21global.edu.sg/mastercard. 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 72 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 & New Zealand: 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 approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and 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 www.mastercard.com. |
|
