Yvannah sitting on a red sofa at college.
18 March 2020

College Helps Yvannah Prepare For a Career in the Hospitality Industry

Twenty-one-year-old Yvannah tells us about her dream to run her own restaurant one day and how her HND Hospitality Management course is preparing her for a career in the industry.

“I moved to Scotland, from the Philippines, when I was 12. When I finished high school in Aberdeen, I considered studying for a career in childcare but soon found that it wasn’t what I really wanted to do. I decided to take a break from my studies and got a full-time job in retail while I figured out which career path I wanted to take. It wasn’t until later when I began working in a hotel restaurant, that something clicked. I had my first real taste of the hospitality industry, and as soon as I started, I knew it was the industry for me.

“I really wanted to progress my career and thought what better way to do that than to get an industry recognised qualification. I started looking at my options. Where I was living, the courses available were limited and I’d always wanted to move to Edinburgh so Edinburgh College was the perfect fit. It offered the course I wanted to do, in a city I was excited about the thought of living in. I moved in May and started my HND Hospitality Management course in August.

Yvannah sitting on a red sofa at college.

“I’m now edging closer towards gaining my qualification while working part-time in a restaurant in one of Edinburgh’s top hotels. The absolute best thing about my course is the opportunities it offers. You learn the theory side of running a restaurant as well as the practical. The College has a training restaurant which gives us a great experience of what it takes to run shifts and services. Customer service is so important in hospitality and we’re getting hands-on experience of how good customer service is key to running a successful restaurant. I really enjoy the hygiene aspect of the course too. I like being challenged and there’s so much more to the course than people would expect.

“I’m really keen to travel the world and working in hospitality gives me plenty of opportunities to do that.  When I finish my course I’d like to work on cruise ships, what could be better than sailing the world while doing something you love and getting paid for it? Eventually, I want to open my own restaurant and bar in the Philippines. I might even think about going onto further studies and getting a degree. For now, I’m just really enjoying living in a capital city and learning more about the industry I want to be successful in.”

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