MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program offered to Middle East woman in travel and tourism

Twenty women from Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa have been offered full scholarships to pursue the Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration from U21Global, the world's premier online Graduate School.

The MasterCard Worldwide-U21Global Scholarship Program for Women in Travel and Tourism aims to empower working women professionals in the travel and tourism industry to stay ahead of industry trends and realize their full potential. This is the third consecutive year that MasterCard and U21Global are collaborating to offer this scholarship program.

Among the twenty winners this year is a recipient from the UAE, Priya Singh, Sales Manager, Taj Regional Sales, The Indian Hotels Company Limited, Middle East.

Singh said "This scholarship will offer me the flexibility of doing a world class program online and also gives me the opportunity to expand my horizon by interacting with a diverse set of peers. I am certain that I will be able to bring to fruition my need to enhance my abilities and polish my skills in order to keep pace with the challenging responsibilities in a growing and diverse city like Dubai."

Singh continued, "Being a part of a reputed group in the hospitality industry like the Indian Hotels Company Limited coupled with the course would surely add to my repertoire of capabilities to meet the challenges ahead and grow along with my organization as it leaps ahead in defining newer standards of hospitality excellence. I am delighted to be a part of the MasterCard-U21Global Scholarship Program."

This year, the twenty selected scholarship recipients come from a diverse range of markets, including Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, UAE, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The cohort of scholars have an average of 12 years work experience in the travel and tourism industry. They work in organizations ranging from national tourism councils, airlines, hotels, travel agencies and travel publications. The majority are in mid-to-senior level managerial positions.

"Many of our 2008 recipients are women in mid-level management positions, who have been in the industry for over a decade. This group would significantly benefit from additional education and through gaining appropriate qualifications will improve their management capabilities and career prospects. The Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration from U21Global will help them achieve this objective," said Dr Helen Lange, Dean, Business Management Programmes, U21Global.

"We are also very pleased with the fact that we're now seeing applications from the Middle East and Africa. This year, we've awarded the scholarship to a recipient each from Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and the UAE. This reinforces our belief that the travel industry in that region continues to develop and that women are a driving force behind it," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

The program focuses on diverse aspects of tourism management and helps build a broad understanding of management principles and practices as they apply in the tourism and travel industries. The curriculum 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.

This year's scholarship recipients will begin their first class in October.