Tourism Curriculum in the University Sector: Does it Meet Future Requirements? Evidence from Australia (original) (raw)

Is Tourism Education Meeting the Needs of the Tourism Industry? An Australian case study

Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 2010

Despite the rapid growth in the provision of tourism higher education in the past 40 years, uncertainties remain about the content and nature of tourism degrees and how these are aligned with the needs of the tourism industry. Some research has been done on tourism higher education curriculum design, but the extent to which tourism higher education meets industry needs has not yet been closely investigated. This study aims to ascertain whether a gap exists between what education institutions provide in their undergraduate curricula in the way of tourism knowledge and skills sets, and what knowledge and skills sets are required by the tourism industry. A conceptual framework was developed to outline the research process, which involved two steps. First, content analysis of tourism curricula was conducted as the preliminary research. A list of 34 subject areas was synthesised from all core subjects offered in tourism courses in a sample of Australian universities according to subjects' titles, themes and detailed descriptions. A list of 27 skills and abilities was identified by collating university generic

Challenges of Tourism Education: Conformity of Tourism Curriculum to Business Needs

Challenges of Tourism Education: Conformity of Tourism Curriculum to Business Needs, 2012

This study was conducted in the fourth largest tertiary education institution in Latvia, which also provides higher education in the field of tourism. The purpose of the research is to study stakeholder needs and to evaluate the knowledge of tourism students, as well as the level of skills and abilities necessary for work in tourism business and to determine opportunities for curriculum development. The study is comprised of three stages: context analysis; a survey of 262 tourism students and 192 employers applying a similar Likert Scale questionnaire; comparing findings with the findings obtained in similar studies in other countries and elaborating conclusions and suggestions regarding curriculum improvement. A quantitative approach conducting primary data analysis (descriptive statistics) and secondary data analysis (Levene’s Test for Equality of Variances, Anova test) is applied to study stakeholder opinion. Findings of the study reveal the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to succeed in tourism business. It indicates that the present curriculum corresponds to the requirements of the industry and student needs. Students highly value the knowledge acquired and the skills and abilities developed during their studies. The employers’ high evaluation of student knowledge, skills, and abilities verifies this fact. The curriculum might be improved by creating modules of related courses, applying a cross-disciplinary approach to studies, using corresponding teaching-learning methods and creating a supportive learning environment, initiating autonomous learning for the students and motivating them for studies. Key words: tourism curriculum; knowledge; skills; abilities

Tourism and Hospitality Education in Australia:

Australia was a latecomer to university tourism and hospitality education provision relative to other countries in the English-speaking world such as the UK and the USA. However over the last three decades, Australia has gained a considerable reputation internationally as a leading provider of tourism and hospitality programmes and research. From a slow beginning in the 1970s, degree provision took off in the late 1980s, expanded rapidly and then matured through the 1990s. Whilst there is a substantial literature on the birth and early development of tourism and hospitality education in Australia, less has been written about future directions, challenges and opportunities. This investigation of current issues and future challenges draws upon survey of stakeholders, including program directors as well as the views of the author as an active player in the education field since the mid-1980s. The emerging view is that the future for tourism and hospitality education in Australia is positive, but that any growth will be very constrained, resulting in some emerging challenges for current providers. An apparently saturated domestic market for undergraduate and postgraduate programs is causing some institutions to reconsider their commitment to tourism and hospitality. Higher education providers are confronting issues such an over dependence on overseas students, particularly in postgraduate coursework programs. Changing student preferences have led to a redirection of demand towards emerging areas generally and event management in particular. This growth has typically occurred at the expense of existing tourism and hospitality programs. Challenges are arising from moves by the private sector and the government funded vocational educational sector into degree level provision. These moves pose a threat to student demand for University programs and to the teaching/research nexus which has been a strong feature of the sector since the establishment of the Sustainable Tourism Co-operative Research Centre. Finally there is concern over the likely depletion of teaching expertise as many baby boomer educators retire over the next few years. The paper presents these challenges and some alternate scenarios.

Shaping Tourism Higher Education Curriculum-Strategy to Develop Skills for Tomorrow's Jobs

Procedia Economics and Finance, 2012

jobs and new skills are rising, as technology, demographic and global climate change generates new demands. To make a smart, property, sensible, green, sustainable, and high employment tourism sector, Europe needs to create or adapt skills -makers ought to adapt educational curriculum to the anticipated modification in skills for brand spanking new jobs initiative. medium -labour market skills forecast demand and curriculum supply. What becomes obvious is that the want for continuing modification and investment in the -

Trends and issues in Tourism and Hospitality degree education in Australia: Will the bubble burst?

2008

The offering of hospitality, and subsequently tourism management, undergraduate degree programs has grown significantly throughout Australia since the first pioneer programs were launched over 30 years ago. This paper reviews the introduction and development of these Australian undergraduate degree programs, identifying the macro-level changes that have occurred in the hospitality and tourism program landscape since their inception. This review questions whether the current level of growth in program offerings is sustainable in the future. It may be that the combination of student demand and market supply forces will necessitate a consolidation of hospitality and tourism programs at the undergraduate level. Alternatively the increasing recognition of the importance of hospitality and tourism in the economic, business, government and education sectors, the predicted growth in inbound tourism, the current domestic labour shortage, as well as the increasing international student cohort...

The content of tourism degree courses in the UK

Tourism Management, 1999

The content of tourism degree courses has been considered and debated for as long as tourism has been studied at degree level. In the UK this is nearly 30 years and during this time nearly 100 courses have been introduced. Against the background of the debate about content, the aim of this paper is to examine what these courses are currently offering. Following an outline of the development of the core body of knowledge for tourism the paper reports on the findings of a research study that was carried out in the Summer of 1997 into the aims and content of courses in the UK. The main findings are that the aims of the courses are substantially vocational and business orientated, that most courses include common areas of knowledge and that there is a range of opinion about the need for a common core body of knowledge. These findings contribute to the suggestion that there is a commonality around the tourism courses with a business focus but that there is less agreement about the courses that do not have this focus. This sets an agenda for further research.