Hastings Hotels has announced the appointment of 14 Trainee and Managers from across the group to take part in its Management Ambassador Programme in partnership with the Ulster University.
Now in its 11th year, the six-month bespoke programme received the greatest number of applications since its inception.
The Management Ambassador Programme is based on the vision and values of Northern Ireland’s leading collection of hotels and gives participants the opportunity to obtain a Level 4 Accredited CPD qualification. It enables future managers to engage in a university learning experience, raising their confidence and professionalism. It aims to deepen the participants’ understanding of the management of customer service and the people who lead within the hospitality environment, develops understanding of the role of Key Performance Indicators across all operational areas and facilitates the continuous professional development of key management skills.
For the first time, the new cohort will work together on real life business projects that are linked to Hastings Hotels’ operational improvement activities with the aim of helping them apply their learning and have a clear outcome and business result.
Over the last 11 years, over 60 employees have taken part in the programme, including three of the current Hastings Hotels’ General Managers, Andy McNeill of the Europa Hotel, Scott Weatherup of Ballygally Castle and Sam Denning of Everglades Hotel.
Howard Hastings, Chairman of Hastings Hotels said: “We are delighted to welcome our new intake of colleagues taking part in this year’s Management Ambassador Programme for which we received the most number of applications to date. It is fantastic to see such a diverse group made up of both long serving members of staff and new trainee managers with an array of academic experience including people with Masters and people who left school at the age of 16 – all looking forward to taking the next step in their careers.”
“When we initially created the programme with Ulster University 11 years ago, we wanted to create a unique training programme that provided opportunities for our employees to develop themselves and realise their full potential. Every year we refine the curriculum so it remains relevant for the participants and also moves with the times and the needs of our business and our customers.
This isn’t just a training course, it’s an initiative that empowers our employees and gives them the opportunity to play an important role in the evolution of Hastings Hotels. As part of this, they are tasked to present recommendations for change across the group – some of which we will go on to implement, so it really is a fantastic opportunity for our staff to help make change – both for themselves and the group,” Howard added.
Dr Nikki McQuillan, Programme Director at Ulster University said: “The lecturing team at the Department of Hospitality Tourism and Event Management, are thrilled to welcome the 11th cohort of aspiring Hasting’s managers to the Management Ambassador Programme. Our priority is to nurture confidence through understanding, raise professionalism and empower talent to make a meaningful impact within the Hastings Hotel Group.”