Key Competencies of Tourism Graduates: The Employers' Point of View

Abstract

Several changes and developments (e.g., the changing labor market, growing worldwide competition, technological advances, and changing demand patterns in tourism) require new employability skills from graduates that enable them to cope with the changing circumstances of the tourism business world. Universities are therefore encouraged to embed key skills in their curricula, yet there is often a considerable gap between what educational institutions offer and what is needed and required by the industry (i.e., there is a need to create a hub and interface between the industry and the institutions of higher education). One attempt to actually create this interface and increase the opportunities for graduates to maintain or obtain employment is to look at diverse skills and competencies that enhance employability of graduates. Although there have been considerable efforts to specify employability skills, the question of how these could be developed within the curriculum prevails. The purpose of the present paper is to theoretically discuss the concepts of employability, skills requirements, and competencies for graduates and to present the results of a quantitative survey carried out among domestic and international Management Center Innsbruck internship partners to assess the required employability skills of the market from the employers' point of view.

KEYWORDS:

• curriculum design
• destination partners
• education
• industry relations
• skills and competencies

Notes

¹ The “Tourism Business Studies” bachelor's program comprises six semesters and a total of 124 credit units of required courses, which equals a total of 1.736 hours of instruction. Attendance is mandatory in all courses. In the 3rd year (Semesters five and six), the students are required to do an internship, and they have the option to study one semester abroad. The internship takes place in the fifth semester. Students complete a 15-week professional internship at a domestic or international company or organization in the tourism and leisure sector. The goal of the study program is the development of entrepreneurs and managers for the local and international tourism and leisure industries. The special focus of this academic program lies in a distinct orientation to entrepreneurial approaches in tourism and leisure. The program is based upon a comprehensive business administration curriculum which is then specialized in the areas of marketing, finance, entrepreneurial studies, and leadership (corporate governance). A further important feature of the program is the extensive number of courses in the area of applied information management (fundamentals in information and communication technologies (ICTs), e-business in tourism, etc.). In addition to teaching a high level of social and personal skills, the development of strong active language competencies in English and another foreign languages are essential parts of the program.