Tipperary GPA and WGPA members invited to apply for share of €20k in postgraduate scholarships

The School of Business at Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) is inviting applications from Tipperary sportspeople for its graduate business scholarship programme for 2020/2021.

These scholarships are open to members of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA) and Women’s Gaelic Players Association (WGPA).

A total of five scholarships are on offer each worth €4,000 to recipients. The scholarships are for the one-year full time Master of Business Studies (MBS) which has specialisms in Marketing, Human Resources, Management and Economics and Finance along with the part time Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme. Two scholarships will be available for GPA members, two for members of the WGPA with an additional one for either a GPA/WGPA member.

Joint programme directors of the MBS postgraduate course at WIT Dr Sheila O’Donohoe and Dr Paul Morrissey are delighted with the extension of the Scholarship agreement for the next academic year.

“The scholarship initiative has been a resounding success to date. It offers GPA and WGPA athletes the opportunity to enhance their career prospects through participation in highly sought-after Graduate Business programmes, in tandem with maintaining their elite sporting pursuits. WIT benefits from having highly capable and focused individuals on our courses and the GPA/WGPA scholars have proven to be a major asset in our programmes,” says Dr O’Donohoe.

Speaking about the scholarship programme, Professor Denis Harrington, Head of Graduate Business states how “we are pleased to collaborate with both the WGPA and GPA again this year in providing this scholarship opportunity. Recipients play an active role in college and community life and gain significantly from our professionally oriented programmes. In providing these opportunities for graduates, it facilitates pathways for them into the employment market as well as allowing them to take advantage of the international dimension of Irish business and entrepreneurial opportunities.”

Sarah Ann Fitzgerald, Marketing Executive at FRS Business Services and Laois camogie player added: “Through the WGPA scholarship programme, I completed the MBS (Marketing stream) in 2015-2016. It provided me with the foundation I needed to help me with my career development. The modules led by excellent lectures were very informative and interactive. The content covered has equipped me with knowledge and tools for the world of business. WIT fostered a culture to help me grow and learn as an individual and provided a great support network. I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me by the WGPA. If you have a keen interest in business and marketing and this is an area you want to pursue, I would highly recommend you choose WIT and the MBS course.”

William Maher, General Manager, Hermitage Technologies DAC and former Tipperary hurler “The WIT MBA programme places an emphasis on developing not just management and leadership skills. It enabled me to change my mindset when conducting business while being responsible, ethical and solution orientated. It has allowed me set a solid foundation for the rest of my career and has opened my mind to processes and innovations previously not considered. The classroom environment and learnings through deep debate of program content enabled greater learning. This influenced me and my judgement through organisational issues such as leadership, change management, finance, marketing and strategy. Overall, my confidence has increased on both a personal and professional level as a result of the MBA journey at WIT.”

Sportspeople interested in applying for these programmes can do so via the PAC online system (www.pac.ie) and indicate on the application form that they wish to apply for the GPA/WGPA Postgraduate Business Scholarships.
Prospective students are invited to contact the Department of Graduate Business graduatebusiness@wit.ie. If you wish to make informal enquiries about the scholarships and programme on offer please contact Dr Sheila O’Donohoe (sodonohoe@wit.ie) and Dr Paul Morrissey, (pmorrissey@wit.ie). Alternatively contact the Head of Graduate Business, Professor Denis Harrington at dharrington@wit.ie.