A local management development programme offering unemployed graduates the chance to gain skills in the hospitality industry is celebrating a second successful year of operation.

The Marriott Hospitality Programme gives graduates the opportunity to be placed with a selected Northern Ireland hotel for a period of initial training prior to taking up a nine-month US placement with the Marriott Hotel Group in Arizona.

On completion of the US placement and a work-based benchmarking project, participants return to their Northern Ireland host hotel for a four-week period to apply their learning and experience.

To top the celebrations, Newtownards girl, Donna Cousins has been named ‘Graduate of the Year’ at the Marriott Hospitality Management Development Programme Awards which have been held in association with the Training & Employment Agency (T&EA).

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive of the T&EA, Ian Walters congratulated the graduates, and described the ‘vital role’ they could play in helping to develop the Northern Ireland economy – especially in the expanding hospitality and tourism sector.

He said: "The success of the Programme is reflected by the fact that eight of this year’s ten participants have already gained employment within the local hospitality and tourism industry.”

Commenting on her success, Ms Cousins added: "The programme was an unbelievable experience, providing fantastic training opportunities, which will be of great benefit to me in my future career.” (CL)