The Queen presents prestigious prize to TVU at Buckingham Palace
The Vice-Chancellor of Thames Valley University’s (TVU) will attend Buckingham Palace today to accept the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for outstanding achievement and excellence in hospitality education from Her Majesty the Queen.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter John will accept the award on behalf of TVU, which is one of just 21 colleges and universities across the country to win the award and the only modern university in this biennial round to receive the royal accolade.
The Prize is being awarded in recognition of TVU’s London School of Hospitality and Tourism’s excellence in the field of hospitality education and employer engagement. The University’s submission demonstrated the integrated approaches it has undertaken to address the needs of the hospitality industry in gaining well-trained and educated employees at all levels and widening access to training.
The Queen’s Anniversary Prizes scheme was set up in 1993 by The Royal Anniversary Trust with the consent of the Queen and the approval of the Prime Minister, all political parties and the Charity Commissioners. Uniquely in the field of education, these prizes sit within the national honours system. They recognise and honour outstanding achievement and excellence in UK universities and colleges.
While the tourism sector continues to be a large area of growth for the UK economy, worth over £100 billion, concerns had been raised that although 10 per cent of the British workforce is now employed in tourism, inadequate levels of skills are hindering growth. Recent research has shown that across the UK, this skills shortage is making almost two-thirds of vacancies in hospitality and tourism hard to fill.
The Prize recognises the University’s distinctive and unique approach to hospitality and tourism education that addresses these concerns, widening participation and developing close and mutually beneficial working links with the industry.
Brian Turner, Chef, Restaurateur, Patron and Honorary Professor at TVU said winning the Queen’s Award is great recognition of TVU’s excellence in the industry:
‘Formal training has become essential in forging valuable careers in this industry, educational institutions like Thames Valley University have been paving the way for years now. This award really recognises their achievements in preparing their students for the future.
‘The Queen’s Anniversary Award is a huge win for TVU, and being the only modern university to win the award in 2009 really highlights their excellence in this arena.’
Professor Peter John, Vice-Chancellor, TVU, said:
‘This award reflects the long history of high quality commitment by this University to meeting the needs, at all levels of education and training, of the hospitality industry. We are also proud to be the only modern university in England in this round to be receiving this high accolade from Her Majesty, which reinforces our reputation as a leading higher education institution for graduate employability.’
For further information about the courses on offer at TVU’s London School of Hospitality and Tourism or to apply, please contact TVU on 0800 036 8888 or email learning.advice@tvu.ac.uk. You can also visit the website at www.tvu.ac.uk.
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For more information, please contact Fiona Chapman: 020 8231 2914 or e-mail fiona.chapman@tvu.ac.uk.
About Thames Valley University:
1. Named No. 1 for graduate employment (Times Higher Education, July 2008).
2. Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Further and Higher Education (2009)
3. Ranked No. 1 for nursing and midwifery studies in England (Guardian University Guide 2010).
4. The only university to offer a degree course developed in conjunction with Hewlett-Packard Limited, the leading technology solutions provider (Computer Systems Management FdSc).
5. Home to London’s top hospitality school, providing integrated training from culinary arts to hospitality management.
6. Home to London College of Music, the leading specialist institution for pop music and music technology.