The Trust has agreed to fully fund three courses per year as part of its bid to ensure that the future leaders of the hospitality industry are equipped with the skills needed to manage people and bring about change as affectively as possible. The courses would normally come at a cost of £100,000 for employers.
Potential candidates can choose to study a full-time MBA qualification which takes a year to complete, or the Executive MBA which is studied on a part-time basis (to fit in with work) over a period of 24 months.
Movers and shakers
Speaking at a Savoy Educational Trust press briefing held at the recently-opened ME London hotel yesterday (23 Jan), Margaret Georgiou - administrator and secretary to the Trustees - said: "For the next generation of chefs, managers and hospitality professionals, there is a very real danger that the quality of their education will be affected by current austerity measures."
The Trust's chief executive Julia Sibley added: "The objectives of this new scheme are to look for and select those candidates that will become the future movers and shakers of the hospitality industry.
"This MBA and Executive MBA program will go some way to instilling confidence in these individuals; at the same time equipping them with the management, leadership, insight and strategic skills that are required of people that are going to shape the hospitality industry in the future.
"These people need to understand how to manage othersmanage to manage finances and relationships with owners, operators, investors and suppliers."
Application process
The MBA and Executive MBA programmes are open people working in hotels, restaurants, contract catering and academia. The Savoy Trustees anticipate that prospective candidates will currently be in a management position. They will also be expected to have the equivalent of a good honours degree or professional qualification and a minimum of three years experience.
Applicants who have a clear record of attainment but who lack the qualifications will also be considered for entry, with the application process agreed iconsultation with Cranfield.
This new funding will have no effect on the current work the Savoy Educational Trust does with other colleges and universities. Over the past two years the Trust has contributed over £2m to educational projects within the hospitality industry.
The deadline to apply for these fully funded MBA courses is the end of February. Full details of the course along with eligibility criteria and information about the selection process is available on the Savoy Educational Trust's website, www.savoyeducationaltrust.org.uk.