Applications for the nationwide Hostplus Hospitality Scholarship supported by Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (MFWF) will open on Friday 31 March.
Applications are open to Australian residents aged 22 – 35, currently working in hospitality in any area – baristas, bartenders, chefs, maître d’s, winemakers, producers, restaurateurs and everything in between.
The program offers one of the industry’s rising stars a career-changing opportunity to work across the globe.
The winner will be flown to three different countries to work in three internationally acclaimed hospitality businesses – with flights, accommodation and spending money – followed by a one-year mentorship facilitated by MFWF and the organisation’s extensive global network.
The scholarship is a unique opportunity for the winner to further their career in their chosen field. Last year’s winner, Elika Rowell, Head Roaster at Square One Coffee Roasters, will be travelling to coffee farm, café and lab, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF) in Brazil; taking a tour of the Programa de Educación a Caficultores (PECA) organisation run by Caravela Coffee in Colombia; and attending the Re:CO specialty coffee symposium in Seattle in April 2017.
Rowell says: “This experience will give me a greater understanding of the different aspects of sustainability within the coffee industry, which I cannot see from where I currently stand.
“I think to call yourself a professional in any industry, you must continuously strive for knowledge, and I will now have the opportunity to express to people just how important sustainability is, in all of these different facets.”
The judging panel comprises four judges with over ten decades of knowledge and industry experience between them: Gail Donovan, owner of Donovan’s Restaurant; Matteo Pignatelli of Matteo’s Restaurant; Rafael Rashid, the forefather of the Melbourne food truck scene; Fleur Studd of Market Lane Coffee; Jo-Ann Moody, gastronomy manager of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival; and Umberto Mecchi, group executive, strategy, marketing and client services at Hostplus.
Mecchi says: “As the national superannuation fund for the hospitality, tourism, recreation and sport industries in Australia, Hostplus is proud to support this important scholarship and further promote hospitality as an exciting and rewarding career option.”
Online applications for the scholarship open 31 March 2017 and close 5pm AEST on 17 May 2017.
For more information or to apply online visit: melbournefoodandwine.com.au/scholarship
