Abstract
The National Certificate (Vocational) (NC(V)) Tourism programme is amongst the many NC(V) programmes that were introduced and implemented at the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges in South Africa to address skills shortages caused by outdated and poor quality TVET programmes through the provision of a curriculum that is responsive to industry needs. This study intended to determine if and how the curriculum of the NC(V) Tourism programme is aligned with the real workplace skills of the tourism industry, and how it impacts on graduate employability. The theoretical framework for this study is andragogy, known as the art of facilitating adult learning. TVET college students are being trained to join the world of work and as such, the learning environment should facilitate their transition into being self-directed, responsible adults. This qualitative study followed a phenomenological design, set within an interpretivist research paradigm. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore and interpret the views of the NC(V) Tourism lecturers, the placement officer, Culture Arts Tourism Hospitality and Sports Sector Education and Training Authority (CATHSSETA), workplace supervisors, and Tourism graduates. The findings indicate that the curriculum of the NC(V) Tourism programme is laden with an overload of relevant, but repetitive theoretical knowledge, and the implementation of the curriculum does not integrate practice into theory as is required in any vocational programme that is intended to equip graduates with occupation specific knowledge, skills, and competencies. Also, the NC(V) Tourism graduates are not trained in any global distribution system (GDS), which is a highly sought after competency in the retail travel industry. The NC(V) Tourism lecturers are aware of the poorly implemented curriculum; however, they are restricted by time constraints and a lack of basic resources such as updated teaching and learning materials and a fully equipped simulator room; additionally, they teach to meet the summative assessment requirements. Although there is a workplace-based experience (WBE) programme for NC(V) Level 4 students to bridge the gap between theory and practice, its effectiveness is questionable due to the short 10-day duration, and some employers not exposing students to tourism related duties and responsibilities. The WBE programme, which could be highly effective if properly planned and implemented has been reduced to a mere formality, without proper follow up and feedback vi processes in place. The study shows that the lack of both work readiness training and support given to graduates, negatively impacts on the employability of graduates. This study also established that employers in the tourism industry are not knowledgeable about the NC(V) Tourism curriculum, furthermore, they prefer Report 191 graduates over NC(V) graduates, negatively impacting graduates’ employability. This suggests that there is little to no partnerships and/or communication between the private sector and the providers of education and training, and that the private sector does not endorse the NC(V) Tourism programme. This dissertation gives recommendations on how improvements can be brought about to benefit the graduates and the industry.
M.Ed. (Education and Curriculum Studies)