Open AccessPerceptions of Industry Engagement in Tourism and Hospitality Studies in South Africa
Author(s) -
Tracy Daniels,
Tembi Maloney Tichaawa,
Diane Abrahams
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
tourism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1849-1545
pISSN - 1332-7461
DOI - 10.37741/t.70.2.3
Subject(s) - tourism , hospitality industry , creativity , hospitality , soft skills , perception , public relations , work (physics) , work engagement , career development , employability , marketing , psychology , business , political science , pedagogy , engineering , law , mechanical engineering , social psychology , neuroscience
This research aimed to determine student and industry perceptions of industry engagement in tourism and hospitality studies in South Africa. The study applied a mixed methodology to ascertain these perceptions to determine how industry engagement can be enhanced in order to produce work-ready, employable and entrepreneurial graduates, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on 420 valid surveys conducted with students across six universities, the key findings suggest that students perceive that their universities sufficiently and effectively provide them with the necessary soft skills, practical skills, creativity skills, and personal responsibility tools through industry engagement activities. Respondents agreed that universities are actively preparing tourism and hospitality students for the world of work and assisting them with career development through industry engagement. The study concludes that the benefits of industry engagement for students include inter alia academic progress, personal development, career planning and workplace exposure, as well as the development of key skills and competencies.