2025 Scholars announced
A Celebration of Talent and Opportunity at HIT Scotland’s 2025 Scholarship Awards
HIT Scotland proudly announced the recipients of 303 industry-leading scholarships at the Talent Conference on Thursday, February 6th, held at the Voco Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow in front of a sell-out crowd of over 400 hospitality professionals from across Scotland.
Covering an age range from 17 to 62, the scholarships highlight the diversity and ambition within Scotland’s thriving hospitality sector.
With representation from 14 out of 16 Scottish postcode areas and across 167 hospitality venues, the reach of the HIT scholarships stretches from Ballachulish to Ballantrae, Inverurie to Inveraray, and Lairg to Largs reflecting an inspiring celebration of talent and ambition from every corner of the country.
For the 2025 programme, HIT Scotland continues to provide opportunities in areas of interest to the industry, with scholarships in sustainability, resilience and the effective use of AI.
The scholarships, which take place in Scotland, throughout the UK and internationally, are designed to ensure hospitality professionals gain the skills to overcome modern challenges in hospitality, while also driving profitability and customer satisfaction.
"Our scholarships are designed to elevate Scotland’s hospitality sector by equipping hospitality professionals with the knowledge, experience, and confidence to push boundaries and set new standards," explained HIT Chief Executive David Cochrane MBE.
"Each scholarship is shaped by the people working within the industry ensuring they address the real challenges and ambitions of today’s hospitality businesses."
Renowned speakers from Switzerland, America, and the UK set an inspiring tone at the Talent Conference, reinforcing the international and forward-thinking mindset at the heart of the HIT scholarship programme. From people management skills to operational improvements for chefs and bartenders, the Talent Conference spoke to the diverse range of skills required by those working in the sector.
A standout feature of the HIT Scholarship program is the personal and practical impact it delivers. Scholars leave equipped not only with practical skills but with a fresh perspective, enhanced confidence, and a drive to achieve. This ripple effect benefits not only individuals but entire teams, fuelling growth and innovation across Scotland’s hospitality industry.
Sponsors of the HIT Scholarship programme include Savoy Educational Trust, The Crerar Trust, The MacRobert Trust, as well as the many corporate partners who support the HIT charity.
It was wonderful to see so many scholars, new and old, in the room at the Talent Conference to help us celebrate!
Great to have Gillian from Diageo there to present 2 of our Diageo Learning for Life scholars with their scrolls. Diageo provide funding for scholarships for 3 graduates of their Learning for Life programme, run by Springboard. This is for those who have found their calling working in hospitality, and we provide a learning experience to help with their career next steps.
Thanks to The Ben and The Maltmen for their continued support of our Drinks and Whisky Appreciation scholarships. Our drinks scholars will have a bespoke experience to suit their development needs, from learning about wine, to seeing how luxury venues do cocktails! Our Whisky Appreciation scholars are from all over Scotland, and will learn how to talk to customers about whisky, to recommend options to guests and to run a whisky tasting. Thanks to Roddy from The Maltmen and Fraser from The Ben (all dressed up in his kilt ready for The Ben dinner that was about to take place!) for presenting the scholarships.
New for this year was a fantastic opportunity from HIT Scotland sponsor Agilysys, for a technology based scholarship in Dubai, looking at technology innovation within hotels. Martin Tayleure from Agilysys was on hand to present, our scholar couldn’t be with us but her boss accepted on her behalf!
The categories for HIT Scotland scholarships vary year to year, depending what the industry is looking for. With a mix of opportunities from people management and leadership, to operational skills and knowledge, or bespoke inspirational experiences, we keep trying to provide educational and motivational learning that helps people grow personally and professionally. Thank you to the mix of companies that kindly support us by providing free training or help us with contacts for venues for our experiential scholarships.
Last year’s new Extraordinary Women in Tourism and Hospitality Leadership scholarship was a great success, so trainer Jane Rennie from We Are Extraordinary has very kindly offered to do another group this year. It was a very popular one, and we have a group of 13 from all over Scotland ready to learn from each other, through a mix of discussion, peer learning, and coaching.
Sustainablity continues to be key for hospitality and tourism businesses. The team at Green Tourism help us to find expert venues to match up our scholars so they can learn about the areas that are of intest for their company.
HIT Scotland sponsor HUB International kindly runs our HUB Pastry Masterclass, teaching chefs the building blocks of pastry and desserts, and our HUB Cocktail Masterclass provides bar specialists knowledge on the principles of flavour and balance, with some showmanship and flair.
Congraulations to our special award winners for scholarships in memory of some of the legends of the industry who are no longer with us. These are scholars who have shown great enthusiasm for the industry, and are seen as rising stars. Thanks to the Scottish Bar & Pub Awards for again raising funds for 2 Lisa Wishart scholarships. The winners are Chloe Glen from The Angels Hotel, and Aaron Kerr from The Queen’s Arms. Our Graeme Gibson scholar is Gregor Findlay from The Hilton Glasgow, and our Chris Rouse scholar is Benjamin Sharples from Glenapp Castle.
To find out more about our scholarships, check out our Scholarships section, and keep an eye out in September for the next set of scholarships opening.
Huge thanks to all of our sponsors for their support of our fundraising events and our scholarship programme, your continued support allows us to keep empowering inspirational development for the hospitality industry in Scotland.
