5 September 2001

HOMEGROWN HOSPITALITY IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN

Local girl, Donna Cousins has been named ‘Graduate of the Year’ at the Marriott Hospitality Management Development Programme Awards held in association with the Training & Employment Agency.

Originally from Belfast but now living in Newtownards, Donna received the ‘Ulster Bank Marriotteer of the Year Award’ from Head of Retail Banking, Mr Gerry Simms.

The Marriott Hospitality Programme offers unemployed graduates an opportunity to be placed with a selected Northern Ireland hotel for initial training, prior to taking up a nine-month placement with the Marriott Hotel Group in Phoenix, Arizona.

Chief Executive of the T&EA, Mr Ian Walters congratulated the graduates and said: "The T&EA recognises that graduates have a vital role to play in helping to develop the Northern Ireland economy and in particular the ever growing hospitality and tourism sector.

"The success of the Programme is reflected by the fact that eight of this year’s ten participants have already gained employment within the local hospitality and tourism industry.

"I know you will take what you have learned with Marriott and put it to good use in your career. The challenge now to each of you is to make your experience in America count.

"I would like to thank Anna Smith, Staffing and Development Manager with the Marriott Group for her continued commitment and support to the Programme, and also Alan McKelvey and his team at Clarke & Dawe, who delivered the Programme on behalf of the Training and Employment Agency. Their experience of international programmes has proved invaluable and contributed a great deal to its success."

Commenting on her success Donna said: "The programme was an unbelievable experience, providing fantastic training opportunities, which will be of great benefit to me in my future career. On a personal note it also opened up new horizons to me, building up my own confidence and introducing me to a host of new friends."

Media Enquiries to Kevin Mulhern, Press Office telephone 028 9025 7790 or mobile 07799 711523

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Marriott Hospitality Management Development Programme offers unemployed graduates an opportunity to be placed with a selected Northern Ireland hotel prior to taking up a nine-month placement with the Marriott Hotel Group in Phoenix, Arizona.

On completion of the US placement and a work-based benchmarking project, participants return to their Northern Ireland host hotel for a four-week period to apply their learning and experience.

This is the completion of the second year of the Programme, having initially commenced as a pilot initiative in 1999.