A three-way partnership model of tourism graduate employability
- Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, W.I., Spowart, J.
- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, N. , Ukpere, W.I. , Spowart, J.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Employability , Tourism industry , Higher education
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceeding
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/382472 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/290714 , uj:31564 , Citation: Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, W.I. & Spowart, J. 2018. A three-way partnership model of tourism graduate employability.
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this paper presentation is to show the employability of tourism graduates, using a three-way perspective. The concept of employability differs depending on the context, as well as the views of the people making employment decisions and those seeking employment. Graduates are not always employable, because they lack certain knowledge, skills, employability attributes, and practical work experience. Therefore, it has become imperative to ensure an adequate level of preparedness of tourism graduates, including their employability attributes, to enhance their chances of securing and sustaining employment in the tourism industry. The researcher adopted a sequential explanatory mixed method, which entailed combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher conducted a quantitative survey on a purposive sample of 561 managers, supervisors and owners within the tourism industry and tourism graduates working in the tourism industry. The researcher used means, standard deviations, exploratory factor analysis and independent t-test. The qualitative research approach was applied to investigate graduate employability more in-depth. A total of twelve interviews were conducted with three academics within higher education institutions (HEIs) that offer a tourism qualification, three graduates working within the industry and three experts within the tourism industry. The researcher found a significant relationship between the professional skills, personality traits, knowledge skills and operation skill within the tourism industry. The researcher constructed a model to enhance graduate employability through a three-way perspective within the tourism industry. The model links all three partners the tourism graduate, tourism industry and Higher education institutions) that play a key role in the industry regarding the transfer of knowledge, skills and other employability attributes. The originality of this paper is that it constructed a model for the tourism industry to enhance graduate employability that links three partners, and creates further constructive debate.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, N. , Ukpere, W.I. , Spowart, J.
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Employability , Tourism industry , Higher education
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceeding
- Identifier: http://ujcontent.uj.ac.za8080/10210/382472 , http://hdl.handle.net/10210/290714 , uj:31564 , Citation: Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, W.I. & Spowart, J. 2018. A three-way partnership model of tourism graduate employability.
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this paper presentation is to show the employability of tourism graduates, using a three-way perspective. The concept of employability differs depending on the context, as well as the views of the people making employment decisions and those seeking employment. Graduates are not always employable, because they lack certain knowledge, skills, employability attributes, and practical work experience. Therefore, it has become imperative to ensure an adequate level of preparedness of tourism graduates, including their employability attributes, to enhance their chances of securing and sustaining employment in the tourism industry. The researcher adopted a sequential explanatory mixed method, which entailed combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The researcher conducted a quantitative survey on a purposive sample of 561 managers, supervisors and owners within the tourism industry and tourism graduates working in the tourism industry. The researcher used means, standard deviations, exploratory factor analysis and independent t-test. The qualitative research approach was applied to investigate graduate employability more in-depth. A total of twelve interviews were conducted with three academics within higher education institutions (HEIs) that offer a tourism qualification, three graduates working within the industry and three experts within the tourism industry. The researcher found a significant relationship between the professional skills, personality traits, knowledge skills and operation skill within the tourism industry. The researcher constructed a model to enhance graduate employability through a three-way perspective within the tourism industry. The model links all three partners the tourism graduate, tourism industry and Higher education institutions) that play a key role in the industry regarding the transfer of knowledge, skills and other employability attributes. The originality of this paper is that it constructed a model for the tourism industry to enhance graduate employability that links three partners, and creates further constructive debate.
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Determining tourism graduate employability, knowledge, skills, and competencies in a VUCA world : constructing a tourism employability model
- Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, Wilfred I., Spowart, J.
- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, N. , Ukpere, Wilfred I. , Spowart, J.
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Employability , Tourism industry , Higher education
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/296431 , uj:32296 , Citation: Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, Wilfred, I. & Spowart, J. 2019. Determining tourism graduate employability, knowledge, skills, and competencies in a VUCA world : constructing a tourism employability model.
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine tourism graduates’ employability, knowledge, skills, and competencies in a VUCA world by constructing a tourism employability model. The concept of employability differs depending on the context, as well as the views of the people making employment decisions and those seeking employment in a VUCA world. It has become imperative to ensure an adequate level of preparedness among tourism graduates in a world dominated by technology, by understanding what the important knowledge, skills, and competencies are to enhance graduates’ chances of securing and sustaining employment in the tourism industry in South Africa...
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- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, N. , Ukpere, Wilfred I. , Spowart, J.
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Employability , Tourism industry , Higher education
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/296431 , uj:32296 , Citation: Wakelin-Theron, N., Ukpere, Wilfred, I. & Spowart, J. 2019. Determining tourism graduate employability, knowledge, skills, and competencies in a VUCA world : constructing a tourism employability model.
- Description: Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine tourism graduates’ employability, knowledge, skills, and competencies in a VUCA world by constructing a tourism employability model. The concept of employability differs depending on the context, as well as the views of the people making employment decisions and those seeking employment in a VUCA world. It has become imperative to ensure an adequate level of preparedness among tourism graduates in a world dominated by technology, by understanding what the important knowledge, skills, and competencies are to enhance graduates’ chances of securing and sustaining employment in the tourism industry in South Africa...
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Employability attributes for tourism management graduates : the perspective of tour operators in Gauteng
- Authors: Razack, Fathima
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Tourism - Employees , Employability , College graduates - Employment - South Africa , Tour operators - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/237917 , uj:24387
- Description: M.A. , Abstract: The tourism sector in Gauteng South Africa, is evolving at a very fast pace. The industry contributes to the South African Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to employment. Because of these factors, the preparedness of graduates requires attention. Graduates completing tourism management-related qualifications in higher education institutions have expectations of finding employment after graduation. In addition, employers expect graduates to have gained the necessary skills, employability attributes and knowledge during their studies. However, if the skills and learning areas in the academic programmes not match the needs of the industry, this leaves graduates and employers in a precarious situation. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the situation of the available tourism management-related academic programmes with a view to how they prepare graduates for employability. Hence, this research explored the requirements of the tour-operating sector from an employers’ perspective in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Recently employed graduates and managers working in the inbound and outbound tour operating sectors were included in the survey from a positivist approach. The primary aim was to evaluate what the tour-operating sector requires from its employees and review this against what higher education institutions are providing. The questionnaires were self- administered with 74 and 181 valid responses received from managers and graduates respectively. Respondents’ opinions were asked for both the current and the ideal situation regarding what attributes the tour operations sector requires for employability. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were carried out to group the attributes under higher latent factors and a relative importance index (RII) was constructed to rank the learning areas and skills to assess if there is similarity or divergence between how graduates and managers view the employability attributes. The EFA revealed that there are two factors contributing significantly to learning areas ‘general management’ and ‘tourism services’ and two factors contributing significantly for the skills area ‘management skills’ and ‘soft skills’ needed by graduates. Using the results of the RII, it was observed that ideally, the most important learning areas from the graduates’ perspective are detailed understanding of ‘destinations and attractions’, ‘customer care and services’, and ‘development of tourism packages/product development’. This is similar to how the managers responded. However, in the current situation, there is a large divergence between the managers and graduates...
- Full Text:
- Authors: Razack, Fathima
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Tourism - Employees , Employability , College graduates - Employment - South Africa , Tour operators - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/237917 , uj:24387
- Description: M.A. , Abstract: The tourism sector in Gauteng South Africa, is evolving at a very fast pace. The industry contributes to the South African Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and to employment. Because of these factors, the preparedness of graduates requires attention. Graduates completing tourism management-related qualifications in higher education institutions have expectations of finding employment after graduation. In addition, employers expect graduates to have gained the necessary skills, employability attributes and knowledge during their studies. However, if the skills and learning areas in the academic programmes not match the needs of the industry, this leaves graduates and employers in a precarious situation. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate the situation of the available tourism management-related academic programmes with a view to how they prepare graduates for employability. Hence, this research explored the requirements of the tour-operating sector from an employers’ perspective in the Gauteng province of South Africa. Recently employed graduates and managers working in the inbound and outbound tour operating sectors were included in the survey from a positivist approach. The primary aim was to evaluate what the tour-operating sector requires from its employees and review this against what higher education institutions are providing. The questionnaires were self- administered with 74 and 181 valid responses received from managers and graduates respectively. Respondents’ opinions were asked for both the current and the ideal situation regarding what attributes the tour operations sector requires for employability. Exploratory factor analyses (EFA) were carried out to group the attributes under higher latent factors and a relative importance index (RII) was constructed to rank the learning areas and skills to assess if there is similarity or divergence between how graduates and managers view the employability attributes. The EFA revealed that there are two factors contributing significantly to learning areas ‘general management’ and ‘tourism services’ and two factors contributing significantly for the skills area ‘management skills’ and ‘soft skills’ needed by graduates. Using the results of the RII, it was observed that ideally, the most important learning areas from the graduates’ perspective are detailed understanding of ‘destinations and attractions’, ‘customer care and services’, and ‘development of tourism packages/product development’. This is similar to how the managers responded. However, in the current situation, there is a large divergence between the managers and graduates...
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Employability of tourism graduates : a three-way partnership
- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, Nicola
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Tourism - Employees , Industrial relations , Employability
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/291984 , uj:31724
- Description: Ph.D. (Employee Relations) , Abstract: Tourism is one of the fastest-growing, labour-intensive, people-centred industries, and has immense potential. Graduate unemployment, the historical development of the tourism industry, human resource development, tourism education and graduate employability, as well as the nature of South Africa’s economic growth and related constraints within the tourism industry have been widely debated. Consequently, higher education institutions (HEIs) are under increasing pressure to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attributes that would make them employable and highly versatile in various tourism sectors. This objectives of this study were to establish tourism graduates’ perceptions and the tourism industry’s experience regarding graduates’ employability attributes, as well as to identify the perception of tourism graduates and the tourism industry of the important knowledge and skills required in this industry. In addition, the study aimed to establish how tourism graduates perceive their abilities in terms of knowledge and skills, and how the tourism industry evaluates tourism graduates’ actual abilities. Lastly, the objective was to understand the current practices and perspectives of various HEIs, the tourism industry, and tourism graduates regarding knowledge, skills, and employability attributes. The research adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach, which entailed combining quantitative and qualitative methods (Ivankova et al., 2006). In Phase 1, questionnaires were administered to 561 respondents. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who were purposively selected from tourism graduates working in the tourism industry, tourism academics, and experts from the tourism industry. An interview guide was utilised to direct the interaction to investigate these stakeholders’ perspectives and practices. This study found that the tourism industry’s experience of graduates’ employability attributes differs from the perception of tourism graduates. The tourism industry and...
- Full Text:
- Authors: Wakelin-Theron, Nicola
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Tourism - Employees , Industrial relations , Employability
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/291984 , uj:31724
- Description: Ph.D. (Employee Relations) , Abstract: Tourism is one of the fastest-growing, labour-intensive, people-centred industries, and has immense potential. Graduate unemployment, the historical development of the tourism industry, human resource development, tourism education and graduate employability, as well as the nature of South Africa’s economic growth and related constraints within the tourism industry have been widely debated. Consequently, higher education institutions (HEIs) are under increasing pressure to equip graduates with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attributes that would make them employable and highly versatile in various tourism sectors. This objectives of this study were to establish tourism graduates’ perceptions and the tourism industry’s experience regarding graduates’ employability attributes, as well as to identify the perception of tourism graduates and the tourism industry of the important knowledge and skills required in this industry. In addition, the study aimed to establish how tourism graduates perceive their abilities in terms of knowledge and skills, and how the tourism industry evaluates tourism graduates’ actual abilities. Lastly, the objective was to understand the current practices and perspectives of various HEIs, the tourism industry, and tourism graduates regarding knowledge, skills, and employability attributes. The research adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-method approach, which entailed combining quantitative and qualitative methods (Ivankova et al., 2006). In Phase 1, questionnaires were administered to 561 respondents. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who were purposively selected from tourism graduates working in the tourism industry, tourism academics, and experts from the tourism industry. An interview guide was utilised to direct the interaction to investigate these stakeholders’ perspectives and practices. This study found that the tourism industry’s experience of graduates’ employability attributes differs from the perception of tourism graduates. The tourism industry and...
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Equipping 21st Century Construction Graduates: a review of key skills in fostering infrastructural development
- Aliu, John, Aigbavboa, Clinton
- Authors: Aliu, John , Aigbavboa, Clinton
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Construction Industry , Education , Employability
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/122837 , uj:20712 , Citation: Aliu, J., & Aigbavboa, C. 2016. Equipping 21st Century Construction Graduates: a review of key skills in fostering infrastructural development.
- Description: The construction industry continues to be a significant part of the global economy and shapes the built environment and quality oflife for people around the world. It is an industry which is regarded as uncertain and continuously changing, requiring the services of competent professionals such as engineers, architects, surveyors amongst others, inthe execution of construction activities to achieve timely results. This inherent complexity that characterizes the construction industry requires, not only graduates possessing a strong academic foundation, but also the right skills to meet up with the challenges. However, the construction industry has been plagued with a shortage of skilled graduates in proffering solutions to emerging problems. This paper aims to identify relevant skills that construction graduates need to possess in order to contribute meaningfully to the future of the building construction industry. A review of relevant literatures was conducted from journals and conference articles from databases including Taylor and Francis online, Springer, Emerald, ASCE, Scopus amongst others. Various skills were identified in the literature which further helped pinpoint the most important ones after a random study across further literatures were conducted. Notable findings from this study revealed that communication, teamwork, technology skills, problem solving skills, individual values, technical skills, leadership, numeracy and adaptability are all essential to construction graduates ahead of the construction industry. The study further makes recommendations to HEI's emphasizing the need to revise their curricula to better prepare construction students for success in the industry. In order to ease the transition from the world of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to the world of employment, it is of crucial importance for HEI's to provide university students with on-the-job skills to enable them cope and meet the ever increasing, changing and challenging needs of the construction industry in this 21"1 century and beyond.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Aliu, John , Aigbavboa, Clinton
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Construction Industry , Education , Employability
- Language: English
- Type: Conference proceedings
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/122837 , uj:20712 , Citation: Aliu, J., & Aigbavboa, C. 2016. Equipping 21st Century Construction Graduates: a review of key skills in fostering infrastructural development.
- Description: The construction industry continues to be a significant part of the global economy and shapes the built environment and quality oflife for people around the world. It is an industry which is regarded as uncertain and continuously changing, requiring the services of competent professionals such as engineers, architects, surveyors amongst others, inthe execution of construction activities to achieve timely results. This inherent complexity that characterizes the construction industry requires, not only graduates possessing a strong academic foundation, but also the right skills to meet up with the challenges. However, the construction industry has been plagued with a shortage of skilled graduates in proffering solutions to emerging problems. This paper aims to identify relevant skills that construction graduates need to possess in order to contribute meaningfully to the future of the building construction industry. A review of relevant literatures was conducted from journals and conference articles from databases including Taylor and Francis online, Springer, Emerald, ASCE, Scopus amongst others. Various skills were identified in the literature which further helped pinpoint the most important ones after a random study across further literatures were conducted. Notable findings from this study revealed that communication, teamwork, technology skills, problem solving skills, individual values, technical skills, leadership, numeracy and adaptability are all essential to construction graduates ahead of the construction industry. The study further makes recommendations to HEI's emphasizing the need to revise their curricula to better prepare construction students for success in the industry. In order to ease the transition from the world of the Higher Education Institutions (HEI) to the world of employment, it is of crucial importance for HEI's to provide university students with on-the-job skills to enable them cope and meet the ever increasing, changing and challenging needs of the construction industry in this 21"1 century and beyond.
- Full Text: false
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