SETU has officially launched its new Bachelor of Business in Hospitality and Tourism Management, a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) model, designed to support career progression, leadership development, and workforce skills across Ireland's hospitality and tourism sector.
The Level 7 degree was formally launched by Peter Burke TD, Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, at SETU on Monday, 2 November, bringing together industry representatives, education partners, employers, and students.
Developed in close collaboration with industry and government agencies. The programme offers a flexible joint pathway to a university degree for people already working in hospitality and tourism, enabling them to advance their careers while remaining in employment. The three-and-a-half-year programme combines work-integrated learning with blended delivery. It is delivered over 14 Mondays on line and 14 Mondays in person for three academic years with three work-integrated learning placements.
Funding partners Skillnet Ireland have made the programme accessible to many by providing 40% of the capitation and tuition fees for the majority of the students on the programme. County Wexford Chamber Skillnet Manager, Aisling O’Connor, and Neil Quinlan, Head of Adult Education, SETU both played a key role in the development of the programme also.
“I warmly welcome the launch of SETU's Bachelor of Business in Hospitality and Tourism Management, which will be a significant addition to Ireland’s hospitality and tourism education offering. This new programme represents an important contribution to the objectives set out in our national tourism policy ‘A New Era for Irish Tourism’. It reflects strong collaboration between academia and industry and has been co-designed to respond directly to the skills and workforce needs of the tourism and hospitality sector.
Courses such as this play a vital role in positioning tourism as a career of choice, supporting individuals to enter, progress and thrive within the profession while helping businesses access the talent needed for continued growth.”
“Hospitality and tourism are central to the economic, social and cultural life of the south east. They create employment, sustain communities, and showcase the very best of our region to visitors from across the world. But the continued success of these industries depends, above all, on people, on their skills, professionalism, creativity and leadership.
This programme is lifelong learning in action, creating opportunities for people to develop professionally without having to step away from their careers. It demonstrates how meaningful collaboration between higher education and industry can deliver real benefits for individuals, businesses, and communities.”
The programme was developed following extensive employer consultation, with contributions from SETU's Department of Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism Industry Advisory Board and industry partners.
“This Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Degree programme has been shaped by an External Advisory Board (EAB) for the Department of Culinary Arts and Hospitality which was launched by Cyril Mc Aree last year. Mark Dunne, General Manager, Mount Juliet Estate, is the Co-Chair of the EAB. Mount Juliet Estate was awarded the Best Resort in UK and Ireland in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards on 2 November in London.
Gerald Lawless, former chair of the World Travel and Tourism Council, and former CEO of the Jumeirah Hotels Dubai, and Dr Sonia Ferns, expert in Work Integrated Learning, Curtin University Perth, were both part of the development of this innovative programme. By combining academic learning and integrating it in the workplace we are creating a flexible opportunity for employees to develop their skills, progress into leadership roles and contribute to the continued growth of the sector. We are grateful to our industry partners for helping bring this programme to fruition.”
The launch also featured an industry panel with representatives from Skillnet Ireland, the Irish Hotels Federation, Fáilte Ireland, and External Advisory Board for the Department of Culinary Arts, Hospitality and Tourism. Ewoyn Kennedy, the Brandon House Hotel, New Ross, and Kieran Mc Mahon, Trump International Hotel, Doonbeg, both students on the WIL programme shared what the programme has meant to them.
The initiative reflects SETU's ongoing commitment to strengthening regional enterprise, widening access to higher education and responding to the evolving skills needs of industry. Expression of Interest is now open and applications will open on 4 January and close on 1 June 2026. Applicants apply directly to SETU.
