34 Curriculum responsiveness in Tourism programmes Sean N. Jugmohan - Durban University of Technology, South Africa
ABSTRACT There is a growing demand for professionally educated and trained staff in the tourism sector. However, current literature reveals a significant disparity between the tourism education provided by institutions and the skills required by the industry. A major challenge facing institutions offering tourism education is the identification of industry needs and requirements and the involvement of industry in curriculum design. This paper examines the education, skills and training required of tourism employees and whether the provisions of higher education tourism courses are adequately meeting industry needs. Identifying this ‘gap’ will assist in the development of tourism education programmes that meet the needs of industry. The paper examines the perceived relevance of the tourism management qualification from three stakeholders’ perspectives; namely, managers from the tourism sector, tourism graduate employees, and tourism academics. Surveys, in the form of structured questionnaires, were used to obtain information from the three groups. The overall findings of the study revealed that gaps exist in the tourism curriculum. The recommendations are that closer collaboration is required between academics and managers from industry and that a framework be developed in which the subjects, and industries are located.
INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether tourism curricula at higher education institutions in the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) are aligned with the perceived human resource needs of the tourism industry. More specifically, this study identifies gaps between the education and training provided to higher education tourism students and the human resources needs of the tourism industry in KwaZulu-Natal. The value of a curriculum can be best measured by the perceptions of its end users. When students embark on a higher education programme, they have expectations that they will find meaningful employment after graduation and will be able to makes use of the skills acquired during their studies. At the same time, employers expect that education providers have ensured that their curriculum is aligned to the needs of industry. This study looks for the perceived levels of alignment in KwaZulu-Natal. The issue of employment preparedness arises from a clear notion that the job of higher education is to prepare students for the world of work. It should be noted that the author considers this but one aspect of the teaching and learning role of higher education, which as a public good should simultaneously be concerned with developing an engaged and critical citizenry. By focusing, in this paper, only on the imperative for curricula to be responsive to a particular labour market, it is not to be misconstrued as indicating that this is the only function of university teaching. However, it should be noted that this study takes place within a University of Technology (UoT), which has a particular vocational focus and aims for The Journal of Independent Teaching and Learning - Volume 5 / 2010