Key Competencies of Tourism Graduates: The Employers' Point of View

Abstract

Several changes and developments (e.g., the changing labor market, growing worldwide competition, technological advances, and changing demand patterns in tourism) require new employability skills from graduates that enable them to cope with the changing circumstances of the tourism business world. Universities are therefore encouraged to embed key skills in their curricula, yet there is often a considerable gap between what educational institutions offer and what is needed and required by the industry (i.e., there is a need to create a hub and interface between the industry and the institutions of higher education). One attempt to actually create this interface and increase the opportunities for graduates to maintain or obtain employment is to look at diverse skills and competencies that enhance employability of graduates. Although there have been considerable efforts to specify employability skills, the question of how these could be developed within the curriculum prevails. The purpose of the present paper is to theoretically discuss the concepts of employability, skills requirements, and competencies for graduates and to present the results of a quantitative survey carried out among domestic and international Management Center Innsbruck internship partners to assess the required employability skills of the market from the employers' point of view.