Graduate revels in Italian job

UCLan Hospitality Management graduates regularly progress into careers with some of the world’s top organisations.

Jurgita Nefedjevait used her qualification to join the one of the top Italian restaurants in London.

She said her time at UCLan provided a depth of understanding about the Hospitality industry which has been invaluable in her new role: "The course is great for those who love people, food, beverage and more people. It really helped understand the industry and what I'm getting myself into.

"Starting from year one with cooking classes and restaurant practices, up to the final year with strategy, development, research, issues and quality, I really developed a broad knowledge about the industry."

Jurgita undertook a placement at Denver Marriott South Hotel, Colorado, during the course of her studies. She spent a year in the USA and hopes to have the opportunity to return there in the future.

"Probably the most valuable thing about UCLan Hospitality course is the internship year - it was a truly amazing experience," she said. "I really appreciate the time I got to spent there and I definitely fell in love with the USA. Working for a brand like Marriott really improved my CV and helped me when I started to apply for jobs - it definitely boosted my confidence."

After graduating, Jurgita was accepted onto the Carluccio's Graduate Management Scheme where she is gaining hands-on experience in all aspects of the business. The scheme is designed to give graduates the confidence and expertise to apply their academic qualification in a real-world environment, with a view to progressing up the career ladder.

"My job is a lot of fun and hard work. I knew as soon as I applied that I wanted to work for Carluccio's. I really fell in love with the company - their standards, history, everything – it's great. Even though they are big and growing so fast, they really do care. I'm still exploring who I want to be, but being a restaurant manager is just the beginning."

Jurgita said she would recommend the UCLan Hospitality Management programme to anyone thinking of getting into the industry.

"The lecturers at UCLan were really inspirational and showed me that hospitality is not just hotels or restaurants," Jurgita added. "It's a really broad industry and you just have to look for opportunities because they are definitely there."