Applications for 2013 are open. Deadline for applications - April 15, 2013
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Scholarship Foundation is accepting applications for scholarships and study grants from Caribbean nationals in CTO member countries. The main aim of the CTO Foundation is to provide opportunities for Caribbean nationals to pursue studies in the areas of tourism, hospitality and language training. The Foundation selects individuals who demonstrate high levels of achievement and leadership both within and outside the classroom and who express a strong interest in making a positive contribution to Caribbean tourism.
The Foundation offers four types of assistance:
SCHOLARSHIPS
~ Scholarships of up to US$12,000 to individuals wanting to study tourism or hospitality at the Master's (post graduate) level.
Download Scholarship Application Form
STUDY GRANTS
~ Study grants of up to US$2,500 to individuals pursing tourism/hospitality studies at the certificate, diploma, associate degree or first degree level, and to industry personnel who want to gain proficiency in a second language to assist them in their job.
Download Study Grant Application Form
ARLEY SOBERS MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP
~ A scholarship of up to US$2,500 is offered in the name of CTO's former Director of Research and Information Management, Mr. Arley Sobers, for persons working in local tourism organizations such as the Ministry of Tourism or the Board of Tourism, who wish to strengthen their skills in the areas of research and statistics. Mr. Arley Sobers was the Director of Information Management and Research at the CTO, who passed away, in an untimely manner, in 2008.
Mr. Sobers dedicated over two decades of his working life in the service of the Caribbean Tourism Organization. He was very determined to ensure that tourism statistical information and research disseminated with respect to the Caribbean was accurate, reliable and properly validated, thus reflecting the very high standards which he demanded of himself and of those who worked with him. He was of high intellect, analytical, and very fair in his deliberations with all. From very early on in his career he clearly recognized tourism's importance to the economies of the Caribbean, and while Mr. Sobers worked primarily in the area of research and statistics, his overall influence and contribution to Caribbean tourism was wide reaching.
Download Arley Sobers Memorial Scholarship Application Form
AUDREY PALMER HAWKS SCHOLARSHIP
~ A scholarship of up to US$7,500 is offered in the name of the late Mrs. Audrey Palmer Hawks who was the past Director General of the Caribbean Tourism Association based in New York, which eventually merged in 1989 with the Caribbean Tourism Research and Development Centre based in Barbados, to form the Caribbean Tourism Organization. The association was established in 1951 as part of the U.S.A.'s economic development strategy for the Caribbean. Mrs. Hawks was responsible for marketing the Caribbean region as a tourist attraction to travelers in the United States and Canada. NO APPLICATIONS NECESSARY. Studies can be pursued both within and outside the region.
For scholarships, grants and the Arley Sobers Memorial scholarship, interested persons must fill out the forms, supply all of the necessary information and return them directly to the Caribbean Tourism Organization's headquarters:
Ground Floor, Baobab Tower,
Warrens,
St. Michael,
Barbados,
Tel: 246-427-5242; Fax: 246-429-3065
Deadline date for the receipt of applications - April 15, 2013.
Since 1998 the CTO Foundation has provided 83 major scholarships and 114 study grants to deserving Caribbean nationals, amounting to just over US$760,000. Major Foundation sponsors include American Express, American Airlines, Interval International, the CTO chapters worldwide and numerous allied members.
CTO executives in the Barbados headquarters screen all applications and select the study grant and scholarship awardees.
KEYS TO THE SCREENING AND SELECTION PROCESS
All information requested on the application form must be submitted by the deadline date.
• The applicant must provide letters of reference from multiple and varied sources.
• The applicant should demonstrate strong academic performance in previous studies.
• The applicant must include a well written essay stating why Foundation support is important and how the candidate
hopes to benefit from the area of study being pursued.
• The applicant must demonstrate leadership capabilities through involvement in various activities/groups.
The Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Scholarship Foundation is offering a number of scholarships to Caribbean nationals to advance their education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree programme in Hospitality Management or a Master’s degree programme in Tourism/Hospitality Management, full-time study, at Monroe College in New York, NY, U.S.A. (website address: www.Monroecollege.edu) or at its campus in Saint Lucia, West Indies.
This very generous offer comes as a result of a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Monroe College and the Caribbean Tourism Organization in March 2012, which established a three year agreement for scholarships and study grants, to support students from the Caribbean to advance their tourism/hospitality education at Monroe College. Scholarship awards will range from US$4,500.00 to US$18,660.00 annually, equally distributed over three semesters. The funds will be used to offset student tuition expenses at Monroe College. All scholarship and grant candidates must be new to Monroe College.
Monroe College was founded in 1933 with a single goal: To educate men and women for a successful future in the world. Monroe is recognized as a national leader in providing a focused, career-oriented, quality education to its student body with integration of classroom learning with real-world experience. Monroe College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education and the Council of Higher Education Accreditation. It also has an offshore campus on the island of St. Lucia.
The deadline for applications is April 15, 2013. Once CTO shortlists students for the scholarships and study grants, persons must also then meet the admission requirements of Monroe College for the 2013-2014 academic year, to begin study in one of the three semesters (Fall, Winter or Spring) and must be accepted under the college’s admission criteria for students seeking study under a F-1 Visa.
The College will expedite the processing of successful student applications so that students could start classes in September 2013 if they desire and if they can get the student visa and other financing matters organized in time. To maintain eligibility for the scholarship from year to year, the student would be required to meet the academic requirements of Monroe College’s scholarship programmes, as outlined in the information on the programme.
Before the study grants and scholarships are granted, the shortlisted applicants will have to prove that they can meet other expenses related to doing the programme abroad, including housing, meals, books, local transportation etc. and they will also be responsible for securing the U.S. F-1 Visa.
Download Monroe College Scholarship Application Form
Download Monroe College Grant Application Form
Photo: (L-R)CTO UK Chapter Chair, Lynn Girling, presents CTO HR Director, Bonita Morgan and CTO UK Chapter Manager, Anne McGonigle with a cheque of the proceeds from the CTO Summer Ball, held in London.
Objective
The Foundation aims to support persons interested in pursuing studies in the area of tourism, hospitality and language training, who demonstrate high levels of academic achievement and leadership, and who express a strong interest in making a contribution to Caribbean tourism.
History
The Caribbean Tourism Organization Foundation was established in 1997 as a not-for-profit corporation, registered in New York State, in the United States of America, and formed exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors, originally chaired by Dr. Karl Rodney of Carib News in New York, the Foundation’s first set of scholarships and study grants were awarded in 1998.
The first recipient of a scholarship was Ms. Acolla Lewis from Trinidad & Tobago, who successfully completed a Master of Science in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom and who was invited by Buckinghamshire College in the U.K. to pursue a doctorate in Tourism Education immediately after completing her Masters programme.
Since 1998 the CTO Foundation has provided 58 major scholarships and 96 study grants to deserving Caribbean nationals, amounting to just over US$607,538. Major Foundation sponsors include American Express, American Airlines, Interval International, the CTO chapters worldwide and numerous allied members.
THE FOUNDATION’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jacqueline Johnson, Chairperson (MarryCaribbean.com)
Sylma Brown Bramble - Treasurer (Caribbean Tourism Organization-USA,Inc.)
Bonita Morgan, Secretary (Caribbean Tourism Organization)
Barry Brown (Afar Magazine)
Neil Kolton (Interval International)
Richard Kahn (Kahn Travel Communications)
Marsha Miller (Condé Nast Traveler)
Michele Paige (Florida Caribbean Cruise Association)
List of past Foundation Awardees from 1998
Arley Sobers Memorial Scholarship Appeal