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Leading British University comes to Apeldoorn
Wittenborg University launches MSc Programmes in Hospitality

In September 2012 Wittenborg University, located in Apeldoorn since last summer, will launch two Master of Science (MSc) programmes in Hospitality together with the University of Brighton from England. Subject to validation, these international programmes, an MSc in International Event Management and an MSc in International Tourism Management, go together well with the goal of the local government in Apeldoorn to increase the development of city tourism.

It is not surprising that the demand from the industry is high. Considering the fact that the travel and tourism industry is the world’s largest employer which is still growing rapidly, the need for Tourism and Event Managers will increase with the same pace. Tourism is one of the most important branches of industry worldwide, accounting for 9.2% of the world’s gross domestic product in 2009. Over 235 million people work in and for this branch. In 2020, the travel and tourism industry will encompass 9.2% of all jobs in the world. This is nearly 1 out of 10. The branch is expected to grow with 4.4% on average a year between 2010 and 2020.

The Veluwe, a forest-rich ridge of hills in which Apeldoorn is located, is the largest source of income of the Dutch tourism sector. What other place would be more suitable for new scientific education in hospitality? “This is good news for the labor market in our region”, says Hans Wegman, alderman of Education and Economic Affairs in Apeldoorn. “Besides the higher hotel education in Apeldoorn, these MSc programmes are of excellent use to the hospitality sector. This truly enriches the spectrum of education Apeldoorn has to offer.”

Besides the workforce coming from the Hogere Hotelschool, the need for specialists in hospitality who can operate on a higher, strategic level is great. The two new programmes will meet this demand. In England, both programmes are already very popular. University of Brighton, one of the two parties in the partnership, holds a strong 12^th place in the list of all British institutions offering higher education in tourism. The University of Brighton is a (British) state-funded university with over 23,000 students spread over six faculties, amongst which the Brighton Business School and the Faculty of Education and Sport. The School of Service Management with which Wittenborg University, as soon as formalities are rounded off, will run the two Hospitality programmes, falls under the latter.

The target group of both programmes comprises both international and Dutch students with a bachelor’s degree who are interested in an internationally-oriented Master in Hospitality. For each programme, the goal is to have a class of about 25 students starting in September 2012. This means a group of 50 new students in Apeldoorn. A large share of lessons will be given by British professors of Brighton who will come over to the Netherlands. In cooperation with these leading academics, professors of Wittenborg will provide the other share of lessons. The duration of each programme is 1 year, after which students have the possibility to do a work placement programme of half a year.

Wittenborg director Peter Birdsall indicates that this partnership is the beginning of more British education in Apeldoorn, especially because of the fact that in England, state-funding of bachelor programmes will disappear and the tuition fees will be raised to 9000 pounds as from 2012. Birdsall is content that the two programmes will be offered in close cooperation with his ‘home university’: “We have been having close ties with the University of Brighton since 1998, particularly in the field of student exchange, but now we can bring British education to the Netherlands ourselves, so that students will have an interesting alternative to choose from!”

In short, Wittenborg looks forward to the arrival of the University of Brighton and the launch of the two programmes which, besides the existing programmes, will contribute to a favorable climate for the development of tourism in Apeldoorn. This is merely a step in the growth process of Wittenborg as an ambitious, international business university.