Expectations of role-players in the hospitality industry regarding entry-level employment for Grade 12 learners.

Abstract

The hospitality industry which falls within the tourism sector plays a major role in the South African economy, as indeed in most countries economies. Consequently, it has much to offer to those seeking employment or business or entrepreneurial opportunities. The subject of Hospitality Studies contains the development of operational and organisational skills that underwrite to the macro vision of the hospitality industry and the development of a philosophy of service excellence in South Africa. The study therefore sought to determine the perception of role players in the hospitality industry regarding their expectations of entry-level employment in the hospitality industry for students who have completed the Grade 12 Hospitality Studies curriculum at a high school level. A qualitative research approach with in-depth, semi-structured interviews was adopted for this study. An interpretative survey design was used to conduct the study with 25 role players as participants in five, four- and three-star hotels. Accordingly, the data was collected from the general managers of the hotels, and the ATLAS.ti™ software programme was used to analyse the data. Ethical issues such as confidentiality and informed consent were carefully observed at all levels. The findings reveal a disparity between the existing skills set of the hospitality curriculum and the desired skills. Personality skills were consequently found to be the key skills set for entry-level positions in the industry. Based on the findings of this study, the researcher recommends that students leaving schools should ascertain what the trade’s expectations are prior to considering a career in this challenging but rewarding industry.

Keywords

• Curriculum
• secondary education
• hospitality industry
• unemployment
• South Africa
• hospitality industry’s expectations