823_UCB_240x170_UG Prospectus 2021_AW_WEB

OUR STUDENTS Rhys Williams Whitbread operations manager to talent recruiter Hospitality Business Management BA (Hons)* Impressing bosses so much on Whitbread’s Graduate Programme, Rhys landed the position six months early, raising Premier Inn Reading Caversham Bridge’s TripAdvisor rating from 4th to 1st out of 22 hotels. Promoted to multi-site operations manager, Rhys quickly became a key leader in the region for some of the most high profile HR cases and a mentor for regional managers being appointed to higher roles. After five years’ experience working for the hotel chain, Rhys is now utilising his transferable skills working as a successful HR Recruitment Specialist for the national agency Reed. It was a year-long work placement as a food and beverage intern at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in South Carolina – a key part of his degree – that kick-started Rhys’ career and earned him the award of Best Hotel Employee out of more than 400 staff. It all started when he was employed as a part- time glass collector at a pub, following a chance conversation with a colleague who was working in the US. “I asked my colleague how she arranged it and she said it was because she was studying Hospitality Business Management at University College Birmingham and the university had supported her through a placement in America,” said Rhys. “I started thinking that hospitality was a smart industry to get into – people always need to eat, always need a place to sleep, and you can travel the world.” “University College Birmingham changed everything for me – when I was younger, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do and thought of myself as an average student. “However, with the University’s support, I was able to excel. I even achieved 90% in my final dissertation, the highest mark that had ever been awarded on the course.”

When I was younger, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do and thought of myself as an average student. However, with the University’s support, I was able to excel.

128

*Now International Hospitality Business Management