Operational Empowerment Scholarships
2026 APPLICATION OPEN NOW
Closes at midnight on Sunday 9th November 2025
These scholarships help enhance and grow key skills for your role.
Before applying, make sure you have read the application guidance document (here). Please take note of what we ask you below to “tell us” in your application.
Please note - if you apply for a scholarship but don’t meet the criteria for it, you won’t be offered the chance of a different scholarship.
You can only apply for one scholarship.
Please make sure you have gained approval from a senior manager for your application.
All scholarship content specifics are subject to change. Any changes will be in keeping with the feel of the original scholarship idea.
Scholarships in this section:
Understanding Revenue / Sales
Chef Craft Skills / Hub Pastry Masterclass
Whisky Appreciation / Hub Mixology Masterclass
Sustainability / Spa Success / Technology Inspiration
Understanding Revenue
What: The importance of revenue management within hotels.
What you will learn: This is a foundation course in hotel revenue management, to give you an overview of the key elements, broken into 4 sessions. Session 1 covers the basic principles of how revenue management works within hotels (key performance indicators, benchmarking and customer segmentation). Session 2 looks at how to create an effective pricing strategy. Session 3 is about understanding and effectively managing your hotels distribution channels. And session 4 is about the importance of forecasting.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Lots of different roles! Understanding revenue is important for many roles within hospitality. Suitable for anyone with aspirations to be an Operations or General Manager some day and hasn’t had any revenue management training. Reception personnel looking to move into a revenue position. Sales Managers looking to increase revenue knowledge to align with their sales strategies. If you already work in revenue then this is not for you. This is specific to hotels.
Where: Venue in Scotland TBC
How long: 2 days (if you are not within travelling distance we organise an overnight stay in a local hotel).
When: 2026 dates TBC.
Structure: Classroom based with some interactive sessions. This course will only be for the HIT group. This course has been created for HIT Scotland by Sarah Thompson of Octopus Revenue, an expert in hotel revenue management with over 20 years experience in the hospitality sector.
Number of scholarships: Maximum of 12, in one group.
Tell us: In your application, tell us why and how this will help your career and your business. Tell us what revenue experience you have (if any, we don’t expect you to have any for this course), what your current role involves, and your career aspirations.
Note - if there is something different within revenue that you want to focus on, please apply for a Bespoke scholarship and detail what you are looking for. Octopus Revenue have other training courses that may be more suited to you.
Sales
What: Sales skills and understanding
What you will learn: This scholarship covers all areas of the sales process. It will look at exploring leads and effective communication, the importance of listening and body language, and how to present a solution. It will cover buyer types, the power of referrals, and influencing. You will learn how to negotiate, and gain skills in upselling. You will come away with a formula to win new business and retain existing clients.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Suitable for anyone in a front facing role dealing with customers, which involves an element of selling. This course is for those who have no formal sales skills training and would like tips to help them be more useful in encouraging sales for the business. You must be able to put into practice the skills you have learned.
Where: Venue in Scotland, location TBC
How long: 2 day course (if you are not within travelling distance we organise an overnight stay in a local hotel).
When: 2026 Dates TBC
Structure: Classroom learning plus interactive exercises to try out the skills being taught. This course is only for the HIT group.
Number of scholarships: Maximum of 12, in one group.
Tell us: In your application tell us about your role and what your job involves. Tell us why you believe this scholarship will help you and your business.
Chef Craft Skills
What: Cooking experiences for chefs to learn something new by working with others.
What you will learn: You tell us what you need to learn or experience to develop as a chef, and we will find somewhere to place you. It may be a certain area of the kitchen where you need to gain more skills, or a certain style or type of cooking. Perhaps it’s using a specific ingredient where you need new knowledge (eg fish or game), or you want to see how a fine dining restaurant works.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Working chefs at any level in their career, looking to gain additional skills and experience. The experience you want must be useful to your current role or career development.
Where: Venues in the UK TBC (travel and accommodation are taken care of by HIT).
How long: Varies depending on the opportunity, usually 3-5 days long, including travel.
When: Dates to suit your work diary, during 2026.
Structure: Usually this involves you visiting a different restaurant for a stage, to work with their chefs and see how they prepare and present meals. This is for you alone. This is very hands on as you are learning while working in their kitchen.
Number of scholarships: Varies.
Tell us: In your application, tell us about your current role as a chef, what your passions are in the kitchen, your career ambitions and which chefs you look to for inspiration. Tell us exactly what you would like to learn more about, or experience, and any ideas about how that would look. The more information you give us the better. We usually look for one area of development per scholar.
Hub Pastry Masterclass
What: Learn some foundation skills in pastry.
What you will learn: When you master the basic building blocks of pastry and desserts, there is no limit to the creations you can design. You will learn some fundamentals and look at recipe design.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Suitable for chefs without experience in pastry, looking to develop some useable skills in this area. Must be working in a professional kitchen, and be able to put into practice what you have learned. Not suitable for students, unless they are also working in a professional kitchen.
Where: Venue in Scotland TBC
How long: 2 day course with overnight stay, plus travelling time (if you are not within travelling distance we will also organise an overnight stay for the night before in a local hotel).
When: 2026 Dates TBC
Structure: 2 days of practical experience in a kitchen environment, this small group will be able to try out new skills. This course has been created by experienced pastry chefs Lauren and Zoltan from Hub International for HIT Scotland, is only for the HIT group.
Number of scholarships: 6 (1 group)
Tell us: In your application, tell us why you are interested in learning about pastry, what your current experience is in this area, and how you plan to use the new skills at work. Tell us how long you have been a chef, and how long in your current role.
Thanks to HUB International for their support of this scholarship. Learn more about Hub at their website here.
Note - if you are already a pastry chef looking to learn more in pastry, apply for the Chef Craft Skills.
Whisky Appreciation
What: Whisky Appreciation
What you will learn: You will learn how to talk about whisky with confidence, to recommend whisky to customers, and get ideas of how to run your own Whisky Tasting at work.
Who is this suitable for / criteria?: Suitable for anyone working in the licensed trade or involved in serving and recommending drinks to customers, looking for the opportunity to learn new skills or gain expert knowledge about whisky. You must be working in a role where you can put the skills into practice. Over 18s only.
Where: Edinburgh
How long: 2 days to include travel and overnight. 1 day course plus pre-work done in your own time ahead of the in-person day.
When: 2025 dates TBC
Structure: First, in your own time, you will complete the Certificate in Scotch Whisky with Edinburgh Whisky Academy. Across eight modules, this fun and accessible SQA-certified online course will enhance your appreciation of whisky. Working through a series of interactive exercises, videos and pop quizzes, you’ll discover more about the history and business of Scotch before covering the entire production process, from raw materials to distillation, maturation and bottling. You will then take part in a 1 day learning experience, created just for HIT Scotland, at the Scotch Whisky Experience. You will learn how to taste whisky, to understand the flavour, and talk about it to customers. The group will visit the Scotch Whisky Experience to experience how they talk about whisky, and run a tasting, learning how to present with flair! You will get the chance to put your new knowledge into practice with some role play, “selling” whisky to a partner. You will learn about whisky and food matching, to be able to recommend a whisky with a meal. You will start your own whisky storytelling journey, learning what you need to know and prepare to do a tasting session for customers or hotel guests, based on the whisky your business has available.
Number of scholarships: 1 group of 6 (up to a max of 12)
Tell us: In your application tell us what your role involves, your passions for the drinks industry, and what kind of drinks training you have already had. Explain why you are interested in this scholarship, what you plan to do with the new skills you gain and how this will help your role, and the company you work for.
Thanks to Scotch Whisky Experience and Edinburgh Whisky Academy for their expertise.
Thanks to The Maltmen and The Ben for their support of our drinks scholarships.
Hub Mixology Masterclass
What: Cocktail knowledge and service skills.
What you will learn: Professional bartending is an art form and with a combination of knowledge and flair there are endless opportunities for creativity behind the bar. This looks at the principles of flavour and balance, with some showmanship and flair.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Suitable for those working in the licenced trade, with some basic skills, looking to build on their existing bar skills and develop their creative flair.
Where: Venue in Scotland TBC
How long: 2 day course (may be split into 2 separate days)
When: Dates TBC
Structure: This will be a mixture of teaching and practical sessions learning, with some trade visits.
Number of scholarships: 6 (1 group)
Tell us: In your application tell us what your role involves, your passions for the drinks industry, and what kind of drinks training you have already had. Explain why you are interested in this scholarship, and how this will help you in your role.
Thanks to HUB International for their support of this scholarship. Learn more about Hub at their website here.
Sustainability
What: Helping you work towards net zero!
What you will learn: Scottish Government has set a 2045 target for net zero emissions of all greenhouse gases with a reduction of 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040. To meet those targets, hospitality needs to play its part! This scholarship will help you with advice on taking climate action, helping you transition to a greener, more sustainable future. This learning experience is created bespoke to suit you, so you need to tell us what areas you want to learn about to help your business.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: Anyone currently working in Scottish hospitality with a particular responsibility for implementing sustainable solutions for the business. You must have the responsibility in your workplace to be able to put any learnings into practice.
Where: Venues in UK
How long: The scholarship will be approx 2-3 days duration
When: 2026 date agreed to suit all parties
Structure: This scholarship will be bespoke to fulfil the scholar’s learning objectives, and will be organised in conjunction with Green Tourism. You will have the opportunity to meet and learn from experts in this area of the industry who can provide you with advice and ideas to improve your sustainability. This is an experiential opportunity, where you will likely visit another property to learn from them.
Number of scholarships: Varies
Tell us: What is your current role, and your interest in this area? What specifically are your learning objectives in the sustainability area? What type of businesses do you want to learn from? How will this opportunity help you and your business?
Thanks to Green Tourism for their expertise. Find out more about them at their website here
Spa Success
What: An appreciation for what is required to develop a successful Wellness and Spa department.
What you will learn: This scholarship will give an individual responsible for developing or introducing a spa facility into a venue the knowledge to ensure best practices are instilled at all times, and that maximising revenue is at the forefront of every decision, coupled with a quality experience.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: This is suitable for managers within a resort property or a bespoke spa facility who are looking to develop their business skills within this area.
Where: The scholarship will take place within Scotland, at various locations.
How long: The scholarship will likely be a couple of 1 day sessions in the central belt, followed by a few days on an industry visit.
When: 2026 dates agreed to suit all parties, will be spread throughout the year.
Structure: This scholarship has been organised by Kirsty and her team at BBSPA who will share their knowledge and expertise. Depending on the scholars and their objectives, this is likely to involve a couple of group sessions where the team talk you through the specifics of how to best run the various business operations of a spa. There will also likely be an industry visit to improve your knowledge.
Number of scholarships: Varies
Tell us: What is your current role? Why do you want to take part in this scholarship? What specifically are your learning objectives in the Spa and Wellness area? How will it help you and your business?
Thanks to the BBSPA and Ishga for their support of this scholarship.
Technology Inspiration
What: Using technology to aid hospitality practices.
What you will learn: This scholarship is created bespoke to your objectives, perhaps looking at trends in technology within hospitality, meeting the people who are either developing the technical solutions, or shadowing properties and people who have already embraced AI solutions.
Who this is suitable for / criteria: A senior manager looking to identify the best technical solutions for their business. You must have the responsibility in your workplace be able to put into practice any ideas you get.
Where: The scholarship will be bespoke and will be undertaken at the place most suitable for the candidate.
How long: This scholarship will be approx 3-5 days.
When: 2026 dates arranged to suit.
Structure: This is dependent on what you want to learn! It may be experiential, shadowing experts, or visiting other venues to see technology in action. You may shadow developers and understand the process of putting technology into action. This opportunity is generally unique to you, but you may be part of another group.
Number of scholarships: Varies
Tell us: In your application, tell us about your role, and where you work (to explain why you qualify for this scholarship). Tell us what technology learning opportunity you would like, and how that will help you and your company.
Thanks to HIT Scotland Trustee Joshua Ryan-Saha from Traveltech and the Edinburgh Futures Institute for his expertise in this area. Find out more at their website here.