BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - PERSONS interested in pursuing studies in the field of Hotel, Tourism and Hospitality Management currently have the opportunity to receive financial aid, thanks to the implementation of scholarships through the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF).
The application process began on December 31, 2011 although the submission period did not begin until January 5, 2012 and according to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of St Kitts and Nevis Hotel and Tourism Association, Michael Head, the deadline will be March 30 with absolutely no extension.
He said that the applications are currently available online on the CHTAEF's website http://www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com for studies beginning June 1 – December 1, 2012 and applications must be received electronically as no paper submissions would be considered.
Head explained that the programme is an annual one, and it involves a variety of scholarships offered by businesses and universities.
"The programme includes a set of scholarships that are offered by several individual companies such as Virgin Holidays, Interval International, FirstCaribbean International Bank, University of Memphis, Florida International University etc, varying in the amounts of money being offered," he explained.
He went on to explain that the top programme, the Virgin Holidays Programme offers a scholarship of US$10 000 per year for three years.
The scholarships, in most cases cover tuition only, and range from US$500 to US$5 000.
The scholarships for which applicants apply depend on the courses they wish to pursue and the company or university that is offering assistance in that field.
Companies and Universities currently offering financial aid include Virgin Holidays offering a scholarship in Hospitality Management; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, offering an annual US$9 000 scholarship for Professional Development.
FirstCaribbean International Bank offers two annual US$5,000 scholarships to young professionals pursuing Associate or Bachelor's Degrees in tourism or hospitality related fields, while Florida International University offers one scholarship of up to US $2 500 for an under-graduate or graduate programme in Hospitality and/or Tourism Management.
Head further explained that there are no special criteria for one to be considered for the scholarship grants but all applicants are encouraged to make their application presentation an excellent one to ensure a greater chance of being selected.
The Selection Committee, Head said, would give electronic results notification to applicants as well as hotel associations, and this would be done on May 25.
The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation was established in 1987 as a non-profit organization through which financial assistance is made available for the educational advancement of persons in the Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism industry as well as persons pursuing hotel careers in Hospitality and Tourism.
