The Divergent Behavior Of University-Industry In Tourism And Hospitality Education In Pakistan

Abstract

This study considered the existence of a gap between academia and hospitality practitioners as one of the grave concern in producing the desired workforce in hospitality sector[1] in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, Pakistan. The presumed gap was investigated through examining the academia and practitioners’ personal attributes and their perception regarding graduates’ employability skills and abilities and curriculum.

Employing different tools and techniques for data collection and analysis, this study found that: at present hospitality sector of the country is dominated with irrelevant and comparatively less qualified individuals. The value of skills and abilities in graduates’ employability is well realized. However, the requisite infrastructure, facilities and capabilities for the development of desired skills and abilities are either lacking or poorly existed in the academic institutes. With respect to the role of model curriculum in employability, the academia prioritized a mix of courses having both vocational and liberal aspects, whilst, the practitioners prioritized subjects of practical and commercial importance. Likewise, the academia is in agreement with the generic relevancy of curriculum to the tourism industry’s needs. In contrary, the hospitality practitioners are found least concerned and less knowledgeable about the curriculum. Though, this study accepted that tourism and hospitality education is at its infancy stages of development in Pakistan, however, the gaps identified between academia and hospitality practitioners needs to be bridged for sustainable tourism industry in the country.