Sicilian graduate wins top hospitality industry award
An International Hospitality and Tourism Management graduate from the island of Sicily in Italy has won a prestigious innovation award from the hospitality industry in Scotland.
Alba Bruno graduated with a BA (Hons) International Hospitality and Tourism Management from Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh in July 2017.
It was a double celebration for Alba on graduation day, as she also won the annual Dakota Award for Innovation in Hospitality Dissertations for her research into possible factors that impact upon labour turnover within Edinburgh’s hospitality business, The Vittoria Group, in order to find suitable solution to reduce employee turnover.
Commenting on her graduation achievement and Dakota Hotel award, Alba said: “I’m so flattered to have received the Dakota prize and I’d like to thank all lecturers at QMU for their vital support and guidance. I’d have not been able to graduate and being awarded with such an honourable prize without them.
"My QMU experience has changed me and the way I look into the future and it gave me the confidence to pursue my career goal of working in human resources. I’m now ready and excited to start a new chapter of my life."
The Dakota Award for Innovation in Hospitality Dissertations is part of Dakota Hotels’ financial sponsorship package for talented students studying on QMU’s hospitality and tourism degree programme. QMU has joined forces with the high profile boutique hotel group to provide its students with outstanding employability opportunities and financial support. This partnership development makes an important contribution to QMU's links with industry and helps to strengthen its already robust employability strategy.
QMU's hospitality division has been working with Dakota Hotels for several years. The University awarded Ken McCulloch, the group's founder and chairman, with an honorary doctorate in 2007. Dakota Hotels has also provided undergraduate internships to several hospitality and tourism students and, more recently, has welcomed QMU graduates onto its Graduate Development Programme.
