A Manchester student has been awarded a £3,000 scholarship from major food service provider BaxterStorey, as she begins her studies at the pioneering Edge Hotel School in Colchester, Essex.
23-year old Basanga Kibadi Lata, known as Rosiie, joined the Edge Hotel School, based at the University of Essex, in February and is working towards a Foundation degree (FdA) in Hotel Management. She beat off competition to be named as BaxterStorey Scholar by a panel of judges for her energy and passion for hospitality.
The Edge Hotel School is the UK’s first hotel school based entirely in a fully operational commercial hotel – the four-star Wivenhoe House hotel – where the course combines academic study and practical experience. BaxterStorey, the UK’s leading independent food service provider for business and industry, has been closely involved with the school since it opened almost a year ago.
Commenting on her win Rosiie says: “I am honoured to have been awarded the BaxterStorey scholarship. I have a passion for the food and hospitality industry and ultimately, I hope to own and run a business. This award is hopefully my first step towards achieving this aim.”
The BaxterStorey scholarship has been awarded by a panel, based on a combination of criteria from the application form and supporting statement.
Dave Hawkes, regional director for BaxterStorey in the North, said: “I’m delighted to present Rosiie with our first scholarship for the Edge Hotel School. She demonstrated an incredible breadth of knowledge and motivation throughout her application and has proved to be the standout star of the competition.
“This scholarship has given us the opportunity to develop the wealth of young talent coming into the hospitality industry and to encourage others who might be considering a career in the sector. The Edge Hotel School is an incredible platform to inspire and motivate students who are willing to learn and develop their skills in hospitality.”
Alan Jenkins, Principal of the Edge Hotel School, says: “With the passionate care they show for their people, clients and food, I am delighted that BaxterStorey is supporting the Edge Hotel School’s ethos and approach with a scholarship for one extremely deserving student.”
Edge Hotel School students achieve a degree awarded by the University of Essex while working at the historic Wivenhoe House, a luxury hotel with two restaurants, recently restored at a cost of £10 million. Students have the option of earning a foundation degree in 16 months or a BA Honours degree in two years. The curriculum has been developed in collaboration with some of the sector’s leading employers and well-known industry figures including Michelin star chefs and four and five star hoteliers.
The new hotel features period suites and rooms, a new garden wing, a fine-dining restaurant and a brasserie for informal dining and function rooms.
More information about studying at the Edge Hotel School and any scholarships that may be available can be found at: www.edgehotelschool.ac.uk. Alternatively, contact admissions@edgehotelschool.ac.uk or call 01206 872858.
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For press queries and photographs of scholarship recipients, please contact the University of Essex Communications Office on telephone: 01206 872400, e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk
About the Edge Hotel School: The Edge Hotel School is the UK’s first hotel school based in a fully operational hotel, Wivenhoe House. A partnership between the Edge Foundation, an independent education charity (www.edge.co.uk ), the University of Essex (www.essex.ac.uk) and its academic partner Kaplan (www.kaplan.co.uk ), it combines a luxurious country house hotel and innovative hotel school, where the future leaders of the hospitality industry learn their profession. Students are part of a team running the hotel and ‘learn by doing’ as they earn their two year, fast-track BA Honours degree, or 16 month foundation degree in hotel management. The Edge Hotel School works closely with the hospitality industry to ensure the curriculum is relevant and students graduate equipped with the knowledge, skills and experience employers want. For more information visit: www.edgehotelschool.ac.uk.
About BaxterStorey: BaxterStorey is the UK’s leading independent food service provider for business and industry. The key to the company’s success is its passion for fantastic food made from the freshest, locally sourced ingredients, absolute client focus, the quality of the people it employs, focus on coaching and development and its commitment to sustainable operation.
See www.baxterstorey.com for further information. Follow BaxterStorey on Twitter @baxter_Storey
About the University of Essex: Founded nearly 50 years ago, the University of Essex is ranked in the top ten universities in the UK for the quality of its research and in the top 20 mainstream English universities for student satisfaction. It is the most internationally diverse campus-based university in Britain, with more than one third of its 11,000 students coming from outside the UK. The University has three campuses in Essex, and partnerships with a number of other education institutions across the region. For further information, please contact Jenny Grinter, Head of Communications on 01206 872400, e-mail: comms@essex.ac.uk.
About Edge: The Edge Foundation is an independent education charity. It is dedicated to raising the status of technical, practical and vocational learning. All young people should have the opportunity to achieve their potential and the UK’s future workforce needs to be equipped with the skills to be successful in the modern, global economy. Edge believes that “learning by doing” should be valued equally with academic learning and that all learners should experience a mix of both. There are many paths to success. To find out more, visit www.edge.co.uk or please contact Sarah Newman, Press Officer, on 020 7960 1546, e-mail: snewman@edge.co.uk.
About Kaplan: Kaplan is a global provider of training and education and part of The Washington Post Company. For further information please contact Elizabeth Hess, Director of Communications, Kaplan Europe, on 020 7645 8968, e-mail: Elizabeth.hess@kaplan.com
About Wivenhoe House: Once painted by Constable, the newly restored Grade II* listed eighteenth century country house re-opened as a luxury hotel and hotel school in 2012. It includes 16 suites in the original building and 24 contemporary bedrooms in a new garden wing. The hotel was awarded four stars by the AA within four months of opening and two rosettes for its fine dining restaurant, Signatures. For more information contact Heather Leathley on hleath@essex.ac.uk.
The hotel’s website is www.wivenhoehouse.co.uk.