Hospitality management skills: an educational and workplace comparative analysis

Abstract

This study utilized secondary data to formulate a comparison of hospitality curricular design as it is viewed by industry. The two studies used for this research project were conducted in a longitudinal format. The two studies asked industry recruiters at a university sponsored career event to indicate where key hospitality skills are best learned. The comparative findings profiled that specific skills are best learned in the work place while a smaller skill set was needed from Hospitality Education. The skills found to be most important which are taught in the educational setting were compared to the hospitality courses at the University of Wisconsin-Stout with the purpose of identifying any potential gaps in skills. A model was used which allows courses to be compared to the skill sets industry deems as important.