The annual Joe Perdue Bursaries have been announced for 2016. The European Club Education Foundation (ECEF) who administer the bursaries announced the following recipients for the 2016 bursaries –
World Conference bursary – Cathy Kobiela, Pitreavie Golf Club, Scotland
Management development programme bursary – Gabiel Sota, Club de golf Ramón Sota, Spain and Alberto Iglesias, Font del Llop Golf Resort, Spain (joint recipients).
The Joe Perdue Bursary was established in 2015 following Joe Perdue’s untimely death. Joe was the pioneer of club management education in Europe and was instrumental in assisting CMAE establish the now extremely popular Management development programmes.
This year there were 22 applications from 13 different European countries, the quality of the applications was extremely high giving the ECEF panel a challenging job in identifying the worthy recipients. The key criteria the panel set was:
- Their previous support of CMAE and its education programmes.
- Their goals in attending an MDP Course within the next 12 months.
- The funding already available for their CPD.
- The impact, which the successful candidate will make upon their colleagues and their area of influence.
Commenting on the selections ECEF’s CEO Nigel Cartwright said, “The quality of applications this year was exceptional and the panel had a tough time making their selections. However we did have three outstanding candidates in Cathy, Gabriel and Alberto. Cathy has made a tremendous impact at her club following her participation in MDP 1 and 2 and her Diploma submission was of a very high standard on a challenging subject matter. Both Gabriel and Alberto have completed 4 out of the 5 MDPs that we offer and are now preparing to sit the CCM exam, so access to the final MDP in their pathway is vital preparation for the exam. The ECEF is delighted to offer these bursaries to very worthy candidates and in the honour of Joe who did so much to establish our education pathway.”
The three recipients have express a great deal of gratitude and satisfaction upon receiving the awards. Cathy Kobiela said, “When I found out about the bursary, I was overwhelmed and delighted. The experience for me, having followed the MDP pathway so far, is partly about the invaluable learning which I use every day in my current role – but more so about the contacts and people this has introduced me to. Having other club secretaries, managers, pros and fellow professionals to count on and consult for advice etc. is a wonderful network and one I hope to build on when I attend the World Conference.
“I am extremely grateful for the support I have received from Scottish Golf, my area representative Iain Evans and especially Kevin Fish who has been a continuous support since we first met on my MDP level 1 Course.”
Gabriel added, “I am delighted to have received the Joe Perdue Bursary. This will help me complete my education pathway and more importantly give me more knowledge towards sitting the Certified Club Manager exam.” Alberto said, “I consider it a great honor to receive The Joe Perdue Bursary 2016. This award gives me the opportunity to complete the path way to CCM, attending the MDP F&B course in November in Les Roches. I am sure, that like the others courses I have attended, I will find delegates with whom to share the experience as much as in previous years, with the usual high standard of speakers.”
Cathy will receive £1,600 to cover her expense to go to the Club Managers Association of America’s World Conference on Club Management in Orlando in February 2017. Gabriel and Alberto receive £1,000 each towards attending the CMAE’s Management development programme on Food and Beverage Management in Marbella in November 2016.
The ECEF is the fund-raising arm of the CMAE. Created in 2011, its mission is to provide financial support for Club Managers’ professional development through education, training and research initiatives. The Joe Perdue Bursary was launched in 2015 following the untimely death of Joe Perdue in January 2015.
CMAE and the Management Development Programmes www.cmaeurope.org