Eight Future Leaders from across New Zealand’s hospitality industry have been given financial support to help them upskill and progress in their career.
The eight winners of the 2018 Hospitality NZ/ SKY Future Leaders Scholarship were announced on December 11. The annual scholarship programme, which is now in its sixth year, identifies eight young people with management potential and who are currently working in New Zealand’s hospitality industry. The scholarship is a collaboration between Hospitality New Zealand and SKY and aims to provide the financial support necessary for these candidates to undertake the New Zealand Diploma in Hospitality Operational Management Level 5. The scholarship is open to Hospitality NZ members and non-members alike.
In total, the scholarship is worth $3,000 per winner, and provides each of these eight promising young professionals with $2,000 towards the current cost of the New Zealand Diploma in Hospitality Management Level 5, plus a grant of up to $1,000 to cover the costs to the scholar of attending the Future Leaders Day 2019, which is part of Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference.
The diploma is one of the national qualifications offered by Industry Training Organisation (ITO) Service IQ, and is facilitated by Artisan Consulting for ServiceIQ. Applications for the scholarship are judged by Artisan Consulting.
Commenting on the calibre of the 2018 Hospitality NZ/ SKY Future Leaders Scholarship winners, Hospitality New Zealand CEO Vicki Lee said: “Congratulations to our eight Future Leaders for 2018! This year, we were particularly impressed by the standard of the applications we received. The quality was extremely high, and it made it more difficult than ever to select just eight winners.”
Lee continued: “Hospitality New Zealand is committed to investing in the future of the hospitality industry by upskilling the people working within it. Studying can be an expensive and time-consuming endeavour, which can make it difficult for everyone to get opportunities to train. We are very proud to open this training opportunity up to a wider circle of promising young hospo stars, and make it more inclusive, by taking some of the financial burden of study costs or student loans off their plate.”
SKY Business GM Grant McKenzie added: “SKY is proud to support the Future Leader’s Scholarship, and to help grow New Zealand’s hospitality industry by giving talented young people the chance to go all the way in their career in the industry.”
The judging criteria included:
- Strong leadership potential in their workplace.
- Progression, and commitment within their hospitality career so far.
- An ability to “make things happen”.
- A clear idea of what they hope to achieve in their career, and how they wish to contribute to the industry.
The winners of the 2018 Hospitality NZ/ SKY Future Leaders Scholarship are:
- Aria Counsell – Danger Danger, Wellington
- James Eng – Quest Carlaw Park, Auckland
- Nathan Brown – The Rees Hotel, Queenstown
- Nikita Jane Henderson – Woodbourne Tavern & Motel, Marlborough
- Rayssa Nayara Martins de Almeida – Trek Global, Wellington
- Samantha Kehoe – Porthouse Bar and Eatery, Whangarei
- Sam von Hartitzsch – Rydges Wellington
- Sarah Jayne Motion – Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata
