An assessment of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in hospitality tertiary education

Work Integrated Learning (WIL), industry-based experiences and the development of business ready skills in graduates have been a source of major contention between employers and tertiary educators. Dissatisfaction with graduate employability has been elevated within contemporary discussion with particular references made to a lack of general job skills and practical industry-specific competence. Such dissatisfaction transverses disciplinary boundaries and is of heightened concern for the hospitality industry due to the service orientation of the work. Work Integrated Learning is emerging within the auspices of Experiential Learning (EL) theory as a potential means to redress this gap. Research into WIL is currently preliminary and generalised towards traditional disciplines such as teaching, medicine, nursing and engineering to name a few. A standardised framework for effective implementation of WIL is elusive and has led to disparate and assorted adhoc attempts to fit WIL into tertiary curricula. The investigation focuses specifically on the hospitality sector within NSW tertiary institutions to determine the transferability of benefits experienced from the application of WIL in traditional disciplines to the specific characteristics of service industries. Justification for this research and its timeliness arises through the rapid expansion and demand of hospitality programs, the role of the industry as a significant economic contributor and absence of accreditation standards further perpetuating underemployment of hospitality graduates and associated devaluing of hospitality qualifications. The perspectives of recent graduates, employers and educators were garnered to establish the contribution of WIL to enhancement of hospitality graduate employability and then identify specific aspects of WIL that need to be managed for realisation of benefits and minimisation of negatives. A mixed methodology was employed to triangulate the data, commencing with a quantitative online survey followed by qualitative focus groups. The absence of central email registries and the paucity of hospitality vocational education listings, precluded identification of all members of the total population thus limiting techniques to non-random sampling. The small sample size and non-random sampling methods limited extensive statistical investigations. A larger scale study using random sampling is required to verify these results. The findings of the study support the existence of the graduate underemployment phenomenon within the NSW hospitality industry. With the majority of the graduate survey respondents residing in the low-income range (25% below $30,000 and a further 50% below $45,000), and 75% without full-time graduate-level employment, this study highlights the difficulty of transitioning hospitality graduates into the industry. Graduates in the focus groups expressed difficulty gaining graduate-level hospitality positions as employers demanded industry and management-level experience. Hospitality qualifications, in particular bachelor’s degrees, were more influential in commencing jobs than for progression, though tempered by the variables of attitude and experience. The survey and focus groups demonstrated the position of WIL in NSW tertiary curricula was frequently in a voluntary capacity. There was a strong evidence among all the sample groups for the career, social and personal benefits of WIL for graduates. The categories ‘Opportunity to re-evaluate expectations of industry and job prospects’ and ‘Clarify requirements and preparedness of workforce entry’ featured highly in the survey. It was clear from the response to WIL negatives and satisfaction with WIL experiences in the survey, that many WIL programs participated in by respondents were poorly resourced, designed and executed. The foremost challenges to WIL participation were identified as ‘Managing several commitments, i.e. family, study, work, etc., while on work placement’ with limited resources/support for graduates, employers and educators. The study concluded that graduates who have had experience of WIL in their tertiary studies are more attractive to employers and that extensive and varied contexts of engagement with WIL initiatives will enhance the perceived employability and performance of hospitality graduate employees. The study developed a number of recommendations and guidelines for effective integration of WIL in hospitality tertiary education. Specific recommendations pertaining to this study are categorised in the following areas: research agenda, educator training needs, institution approach to WIL and WIL resources, and the role of the Federal Government. Key recommendations include the need for an urgent national investigation to be conducted into the value and composition of hospitality degree programs and alignment to hospitality industry career paths. It is recommended that further research be conducted to review competency standards for hospitality tertiary educators with TAFE, university and other institutes/RTOs mandating currency stipulations for both training skills and industry practice. The need to establish clear strategic direction, operational tactics and adequate resourcing for WIL became apparent in the course of the research. The creation of a specialised team providing administrative support to educators and increasing autonomy for hospitality departments to adapt programs to the specific conditions of the industry and to evolving industry accreditation standards is highly recommended. Furthermore government intervention is recommended to facilitate and champion the WIL agenda through hospitality industry association collaboration and amalgamation. The positioning of hospitality industry accreditation on the national agenda to ensure quality education standards would facilitate the production of a coherent, comprehensive strategy in hospitality services