SCHOLARSHIPS totalling more than £25,000 are on offer to students at the Wivenhoe House Hotel.

The Edge Hotel School, on Colchester Road, will be the first of its kind in the UK where students learn in a fully operational commercial hotel.

Nine students will be awarded a £3,000 scholarship to attend the hotel, thanks to the Savoy Educational Trust.

Although on offer to students across the country the scholarships present a great opportunity for applicants from around Colchester, according to the team behind the hotel.

Alan Jenkins, principal of the hotel school, said: “With their impressive reputation built over 50 years of developing education, training and qualifications in the hospitality sector, the support of Savoy Educational Trust is a significant endorsement of our mission based on a model of learning-by-doing.

“We are honoured to be working with them.”

Ramon Pajares, chairman of trustees for the Savoy Educational Trust, said: “This innovative model combining work with academic study in a commercial operation is a fantastic way to prepare tomorrow’s hospitality managers for the demands of working in the sector.”

Courses on offer at the hotel are either a one year foundation degree or a two year BA course, both from Essex University.

To apply for a scholarship visit the Edge Hotel School website , email admissions@edgehotelschool.ac.uk or call 01206 872858.