Falkirk hospitality industry student could not miss Swiss scholarship opportunity

HND hospitality management student Emma Leitch, 19, had been in the country that gave the world the cuckoo clock, nice chocolate and tennis ace Roger Federer as part of her HIT Scotland scholarship, visiting the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne – one of the world’s most prestigious hospitality management schools.

The aim of the HIT Scotland scholarship is to give an insight into the hospitality industry from a new perspective and provide scholars with the skills and knowledge

to help Scotland improve its hospitality industry and be even more successful.

Emma said: “I thought this was a great opportunity and I applied, but I was still surprised to get accepted to go. I try to work really hard and I am committed when I

do something, so I am proud of the fact I was selected to go.

“I had been looking forward to it so much and it has been a great experience. We attended talks and workshops and it was great to see how the students work in the

areas of restaurant and accommodation.

"I have been inspired by what I observed and it has been so beneficial for me.”

Emma, who also works as a chef in Linlithgow’s Café Bar 1807, decided to do the HND hospitality management course at FVC to learn as much as she could about the practical side of the industry.

She said: “I would 100 per cent recommend the HND hospitality management course at Forth Valley Course as it is a really good mixture of different kinds of learning with a great practical element running through it.

"The lecturers all have different background of experience which is also very useful to tap into. You are never bored on this course and that’s why I chose to do it rather than go to university, which might have been more theory based.

“I would ideally like to go into a leadership role in my career, maybe head chef and managing others, all the while learning and progressing as far as I can.”