Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Hospitality students to be mentored by Leeds hotel and venue professionals
Participating venues include Radisson Blu, Doubletree by Hilton, Bewley’s Hotel, Park Plaza, Royal Armouries International, Thorpe Park Hotel, Oulton Hall, The Met, The Queen’s Hotel, Weetwood Hall, Park Plaza and Holiday Inn Express.
Our University is committed to providing students with practical industry experiences and the opportunity to be mentored by a range of hotel and venue professionals including general managers, finance directors, sales, marketing and human resource managers, will give them invaluable access to the experience of industry experts.
The one-to-one sessions will give each mentee an insight into the workplace, practical advice and guidance with their career and to identify areas for development.
Gordon Jackson, General Manager of Thorpe Park Hotel & Spa and Chairman of the Leeds Hotels and Venues Association, commented: “We are delighted to work with the School of Events, Tourism and Hospitality to mentor students in the hospitality industry. These students are potentially our future employees and investing in them now, to maximise their potential, we can ensure that they are really well-equipped for a career in our sector.”
The pilot of the programme in 2013 was successful with a number of mentees receiving full time employment with their mentor or staying within the industry following completion of the programme.
Valerie Donaldson, General Manager at Radisson Blu in Leeds, participated in this programme, successfully supporting her mentee, and as a result; her mentee is now working in hospitality in New Zealand. Other mentees in the programme are still working in the hospitality industry in areas such as contract catering, resort management, hotel management and restaurant management.
Sofia Rebelo, Hospitality Leadership and Management Course Tutor and Senior Lecturer at our University, added: “Working with the Leeds Hotels and Venues Association is a great opportunity for both our Students and the Mentors; for our students it is an opportunity to exchange viewpoints and ideas with experts who have a vast range of experiences and skills that can inspire them on their own professional and personal development. For the mentors and the local employers, it is an opportunity to be part of the education we provide in nurturing the future talent for this dynamic and growing industry and also be able to access other resources that we at the School may be able to offer.”
The mentoring programme is being managed by an alumna of the school, Lisa Phuong, who graduated from the first class of the BSc (Hons) Hospitality Leadership and Management course in July 2013.