MasterCard and U21Global Launch Scholarship Program to Empower Women Professionals in the Travel and Tourism Industry
The Multifaceted Travel and Tourism Industry will Require Trained Professionals for Growth
Singapore, April 12, 2006 - Encouraged by the robust growth of the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific and the rise in socioeconomic stature of women across the region, MasterCard International, in association with U21Global, today launched the U21Global Scholarship Program for Women in Travel and Tourism. The program aims to empower working women professionals to stay ahead of industry trends and realize their full potential.
The program comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Executive Diploma of Business Administration that can articulate into The University of Nottingham MSc in Tourism and Travel Management. The course has been developed by Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute a part of Nottingham University Business School and U21Global, a leader in offering quality graduate online education to working executives and professionals. U21Global is a joint venture between Universitas 21, an international network of 18 research-intensive universities and Thomson Learning, a world leader in tailored learning solutions. As the course will be offered online, women can take advantage of learning while working.
Organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific will be invited to nominate female employees who they believe will most benefit from the learning and exposure offered by such a scholarship. MasterCard and U21Global will institute a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients.
“Part of U21Global's mission has always been to bring high quality postgraduate education to underserved regions and populations. The MasterCard and U21Global Scholarship Program for women in the travel and tourism industry is a natural addition to U21Global's efforts to serve this region especially. We are particularly delighted to team up with MasterCard and hope through our association, to reach the largest possible audience of talented and eligible women to encourage them, and their organizations to nominate them. We look forward with great enthusiasm to the inaugural cohort of scholarship winners rapidly taking leadership positions in the travel and tourism industries and enhancing the region's global competitiveness and attractiveness in the process,” noted Dr. Michael A. Goldberg, Chief Academic Officer, U21Global.
“As part of our commitment to research and education and in celebration of our 20th anniversary, MasterCard International is pleased to launch this scholarship program, in association with U21Global,” said Georgette Tan, senior business leader, Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard International. “ This collaboration leverages U21Global's acknowledged strengths in opening doors to some of the best universities around the world and also draws on the research that MasterCard has been doing which attests to the rapid advancement of women in the region, ” noted Ms. Tan.
The travel and tourism industry is growing in size and creates employment for millions across the Asia/Pacific. The industry is set to become a key component in global economic growth and prosperity in the 21st century particularly in Asia Pacific. Intra-regional travel itself has witnessed exponential growth especially in recent years, with over 80% of the growth of tourist arrivals in Asia /Pacific originating from within Asia Pacific itself. However, as the industry becomes more sophisticated, trained professionals will be required to tackle the volume of travelers and their demands for better and innovative service. There is already a growing shortage of travel and tourism professionals in the region, especially in the booming Chinese and Indian markets.
This scholarship program is intended to add significantly over the coming decade to the supply of talented and well educated tourism professionals. Specifically, it will help build a broad understanding of management principles and practices as they apply in the tourism and travel industries. The course will focus on diverse aspects of tourism management, including people management, financial resources management, market research, marketing and strategy, eBusiness, tourism policy and planning, cultural and heritage tourism, consumer behavior, sustainability and service delivery. Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global's website www.u21global.edu.sg.
About U21Global
U21Global was established in 2001 as the world's premier online Graduate School and offers globally recognized programs. It is a joint venture between Universitas 21, an international network of 18 leading research-intensive universities in 10 countries, and Thomson Learning, a world leader in tailored learning solutions. 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 52 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas . The graduate programs 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 18 member universities. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg.
U21Global's member universities include: North America: University of British Columbia, McGill University, University of Virginia; Europe : Albert-Ludwigs Universitat Freiburg, University of Glasgow, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Nottingham, Lund University; East Asia : Fudan University, University of Hong Kong, Korea University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Australia & New Zealand : University of Queensland, University of New South Wales, University of Melbourne, University of Auckland.
About MasterCard International
MasterCard International is a leading global payments solutions company that provides a broad variety of innovative services in support of our global members' credit, deposit access, electronic cash, business-to-business and related payment programs. MasterCard, through its principal operating subsidiary, MasterCard International Incorporated, manages a family of well-known, widely accepted payment card brands including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus® and serves financial institutions, consumers and businesses in over 210 countries and territories. The MasterCard award-winning Priceless® advertising campaign is now seen in 105 countries and in 48 languages, giving the MasterCard brand a truly global reach and scope. For more information go to www.mastercardinternational.com.
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