THE successful candidate for this year’s scholarship for culinary students at CIT will be announced in January 2019.

The scholarship is sponsored by the Market Lane group of restaurants and is worth €3,000. The Market Lane Group, which comprises Market Lane Restaurant, ORSO, Castle Café Blackrock and Elbow Lane Smokehouse and Brewery, has won many awards for its excellent staff training and development programmes.

Last year the group teamed up with the Department of Tourism & Hospitality at CIT to create this annual bursary to help existing culinary students fund future studies.

It is the only culinary scholarship in Ireland to be offered by a restaurant group

Dr Noel Murray, Head of Department of Tourism and Hospitality at CIT said: “While the hospitality industry continues to struggle with staff shortages, we believe that it is those candidates who have a good academic background, as well as solid work experience who will continue to raise standards in our industry.”

Market Lane owner, Conrad Howard, said: “We see it as part of our responsibility to invest in our future colleagues in industry, many of whom are the college students of today.”