Assessing Competencies, Career Adaptability, and Employability of Senior Students in Hospitality and Tourism Program after the COVID-19

Main Article Content

Woraprat Yoelao
Paramet Damchoo
Janrapee Kemthong

บทคัดย่อ

The hospitality and tourism sector are constantly evolving, which compels educators to evolve in turn to meet industry needs by ensuring that students are exposed to, a curriculum which equips them with the necessary skills and competencies demanded. This study examines the perception of senior hospitality and tourism students to determine which competencies affect their career adaptability and to assess whether such adaptability will in their view lead to employability after the post-COVID-19. A mixed-methods approach is followed, using a structural model demonstrating that interpersonal skills, conceptual/creative, and technical skills are requirements leading to career adaptability, while the capacity for administrative and leadership skills exerted no influence on adaptability. Importantly, career adaptability significantly affects perceptions of employability. The findings therefore support educators in developing courses and strategies to effectively teach hospitality and tourism students in the post-COVID-19 era.

Article Details

บท
บทความวิจัย (Research article)

References

Ali, A., Murphy, H. C. and Nadkarni, S. (2017). Sustainable development and hospitality education: Employers’ perspectives on the relevance for graduate employability. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 17(3), 159-172.

AlKhemeiri, A. K., Khalid, K. and Musa, N. (2021). The role of career competencies and proactive personality in early-career employee career adaptability. European Journal of Training and Development, 45(4/5), 285-300.

Anderson, J. C. and Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411.

Amirianzadeh, M., Jaafari, P., Ghourchian, N. and Jowkar, B. (2010). College student leadership competencies development: A model. International Journal for Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 1(3), 168-172.

Ayertey Odonkor, A., Asiedu-Nketiah, K., Ato Brown, E. O. and Mamun Miah, M. (2011). Human capital development and economic growth in Nigeria. European Journal of Business and Management, 3(9), 29–39.

Baum, T., Mooney, S. K., Robinson, R. N. and Solnet, D. (2020). COVID-19’s impact on the hospitality workforce–new crisis or amplification of the norm?. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 32(9), 2813-2829.

Benjamin, S., Dillette, A. and Alderman, D. H. (2020). “We can’t return to normal”: Committing to tourism equity in the post-pandemic age. Tourism Geographies, 22(3), 476-483.

Bernstrøm, V. H., Drange, I. and Mamelund, S. E. (2018). Employability as an alternative to job security. Personnel Review, 48(1), 234-248.

Bocciardi, F., Caputo, A., Fregonese, C., Langher, V. and Sartori, R. (2017). Career adaptability as a strategic competence for career development: An exploratory study of its key predictors. European Journal of Training and Development, 41(1), 67-82.

Brown, S. D. (2017). Meta-analysis and evidence-based career practice: Current status and future directions. Integrating theory, research, and practice in vocational psychology: Current status and future directions, 82.

Camargo, B. A. and Gretzel, U. (2017). What do tourism students know about sustainability and sustainable tourism? An exploratory study of Latin American students. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 17(2), 101-117.

Chen, H., Wu, Y., Jiang, L., Xu, B., Gao, X. and Cai, W. (2023). Future orientation and perceived employability of chinese undergraduates: a moderated mediation model. Current Psychology, 42(31), 27127-27140.

Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, P. (2014). Business research methods (12th ed.). New York: Mcgraw-hill.

Dacre Pool, L. and Sewell, P. (2007). The key to employability: developing a practical model of graduate employability. Education+ training, 49(4), 277-289.

Daniel, A. D., Costa, R. A., Pita, M. and Costa, C. (2017). Tourism Education: What about entrepreneurial skills?. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 30, 65-72.

Dessler, G. (2008). Human Resources Management (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.

DeVellis, R. F. and Thorpe, C. T. (2021). Scale development: Theory and applications. Thousand Oaks: Sage publications.

Ferreras-Garcia, R., Sales-Zaguirre, J. and Serradell-López, E. (2020). Competences in higher education tourism internships. Education Training, 62(1), 64-80.

Ford, J. K., MacCallum, R. C. and Tait, M. (1986). The application of exploratory factor analysis in applied psychology: A critical review and analysis. Personnel psychology, 39(2), 291-314.

Fornell, C. and Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of marketing research, 18(1), 39-50.

Fugate, M., Van der Heijden, B., De Vos, A., Forrier, A. and De Cuyper, N. (2021). Is what’s past prologue? A review and agenda for contemporary employability research. Academy of Management Annals, 15(1), 266-298.

Goh, E. and Sigala, M. (2020). Integrating Information & communication Technologies (ICT) into classroom instruction: Teaching tips for hospitality educators from a diffusion of innovation approach. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 20(2), 156-165.

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Babin, B. J. and Black, W. C. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.

Hair Jr, J., Page, M. and Brunsveld, N. (2019). Essentials of business research methods. New York: Routledge.

Hales, R. and Jennings, G. (2017). Transformation for sustainability: The role of complexity in tourism students' understanding of sustainable tourism. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 21, 185-194.

Higgins-Desbiolles, F. (2021). Socialising tourism for social and ecological justice after COVID-19. In Global Tourism and COVID-19 (pp. 156-169). Madrid: Routledge.

Hirschi, A. (2012). The career resources model: An integrative framework for career counsellors. British Journal of Guidance & Counselling, 40(4), 369-383.

Joshi, V. A. and Gupta, I. (2021). Assessing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on hospitality and tourism education in India and preparing for the new normal. Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes, 13(5), 622-635.

Kaiser, H. F. (1958). The varimax criterion for analytic rotation in factor analysis. Psychometrika, 23(3), 187-200.

Karatepe, O. M. and Olugbade, O. A. (2017). The effects of work social support and career adaptability on career satisfaction and turnover intentions. Journal of Management & Organization, 23(3), 337-355.

Kay, C. and Russette, J. (2000). Hospitality-management competencies: Identifying managers' essential skills. Cornell hotel and restaurant administration quarterly, 41(2), 52-63.

Khalid, K. and Ahmad, A. M. (2021). The relationship between employability skills and career adaptability: A case of undergraduate students of the United Arab Emirates. Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, 11(5), 1035-1054.

Kim, H. J. and Jeong, M. (2018). Research on hospitality and tourism education: Now and future. Tourism Management Perspectives, 25, 119-122.

Krishnan, V., Mann, R., Seitzman, N. and Wittkamp, N. (2020). Hospitality and Covid-19: How long until “no vacancy” for US hotels?. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from, https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/Travel%20Transport%20and%20Logistics/Our%20Insights/Hospitality%20and%20COVID%2019%20How%20long%20until%20no%20vacancy%20for%20US%20hotels/Hospitality-and-COVID-19-How-long-until-no-vacancy-for-US-hotels-vF.pdf

Law, R. (2006). A perspective on SARS and education in hospitality and tourism. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 5(4), 53-59.

Lee, P. C., Xu, S. T. and Yang, W. (2021). Is career adaptability a double-edged sword? The impact of work social support and career adaptability on turnover intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 94, 102875.

Lei, S. I. and So, A. S. I. (2021). Online teaching and learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic - A comparison of teacher and student perceptions. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 33(3), 148-162.

Lo Presti, A. and Pluviano, S. (2016). Looking for a route in turbulent waters: Employability as a compass for career success. Organizational Psychology Review, 6(2), 192-211.

Lunkam, P. (2021). Industry Outlook 2021-2023: Hotel Industry. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from, https://www.krungsri.com/en/research/industry/industry-outlook/services/hotels/io/io-hotel-21

Mandabach, K. H., VanLeeuwen, D. and Bloomquist, P. (2001). Hospitality technology education: Student successes in mastering the hidden curriculum. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 13(1), 49-56.

McLagan, P. A. and Suhadolnik, D. (1989). Models for HRD practice. Training and Development Journal, 43(9), 49-59.

Min, H., Swanger, N. and Gursoy, D. (2016). A longitudinal investigation of the importance of course subjects in the hospitality curriculum: An industry perspective. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 28(1), 10-20.

Monteiro, S., Taveira, M. D. C. and Almeida, L. (2019). Career adaptability and university-to-work transition: Effects on graduates’ employment status. Education Training, 61(9), 1187-1199.

Moore, D. R., Cheng, M. I. and Dainty, A. R. (2002). Competence, competency and competencies: performance assessment in organisations. Work study, 51(6), 314-319.

Naderiadib Alpler, N. and Arasli, H. (2020). Can hindrance stressors change the nature of perceived employability? An empirical study in the hotel industry. Sustainability, 12(24), 10574.

National Youth Commission, Executive Yuan. (2006). Investigation of employability of college graduates. Taiwan: Author.

Nunnally, J. C. (1978). An overview of psychological measurement. In B. B. Wolman (Eds.), Clinical diagnosis of mental disorders: A handbook (pp. 97-146). Boston: Springer.

Ocampo, A. C. G., Reyes, M. L., Chen, Y., Restubog, S. L. D., Chih, Y. Y., Chua-Garcia, L., et al. (2020). The role of internship participation and conscientiousness in developing career adaptability: A five-wave growth mixture model analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 120, 103426.

Pan, J., Guan, Y., Wu, J., Han, L., Zhu, F., Fu, X. and Yu, J. (2018). The interplay of proactive personality and internship quality in Chinese university graduates' job search success: The role of career adaptability. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 109, 14-26.

Park, S. and Park, S. Y. (2020). Career adaptability of South Korean engineering students: Personal and contextual influencing factors. European Journal of Training and Development, 44(4/5), 469-488.

Qureshi, A., Wall, H., Humphries, J. and Balani, A. B. (2016). Can personality traits modulate student engagement with learning and their attitude to employability?. Learning and Individual Differences, 51, 349-358.

Rasheed, M. I., Okumus, F., Weng, Q., Hameed, Z. and Nawaz, M. S. (2020). Career adaptability and employee turnover intentions: The role of perceived career opportunities and orientation to happiness in the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 44, 98-107.

Robert, D. F. and DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. Journal of International Academic Research, 10(2), 23-41.

Rothwell, A., Herbert, I. and Rothwell, F. (2008). Self-perceived employability: Construction and initial validation of a scale for university students. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 73(1), 1-12.

Rudolph, C. W., Lavigne, K. N. and Zacher, H. (2017). Career adaptability: A meta-analysis of relationships with measures of adaptivity, adapting responses, and adaptation results. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 98, 17-34.

Safavi, H. P. and Karatepe, O. M. (2018). High-performance work practices and hotel employee outcomes: The mediating role of career adaptability. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(2), 1112-1133.

Sandwith, P. (1993). A hierarchy of management training requirements: The competency domain model. Public Personnel Management, 22(1), 43-62.

Saraswati, S., Nugraheni, E. P., Putra, E. M. and Wiratomo, G. H. (March 7-11, 2021). Career competence and career engagement: The mediating roles of career adaptability. In The 11th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management (pp. 3562-3568). Singapore: IEOM Society International.

Savickas, M. L. (1997). Career adaptability: An integrative construct for life-span, life-space theory. The career development quarterly, 45(3), 247-259.

Savickas, M. L. and Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661-673.

Séraphin, H. and Yallop, A. C. (2021). Overtourism and tourism education. London: Routledge.

Shariff, N. M. and Abidin, A. Z. (2015). Developing an index of the Malaysian tourism and hospitality graduates competencies. International Journal of Business and Society, 16(3), 422-435.

Shah, C., Chowdhury, A. and Gupta, V. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on tourism and hospitality students’ perceptions of career opportunities and future prospects in India. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 21(4), 359-379.

Sharma, G. D., Thomas, A. and Paul, J. (2021). Reviving tourism industry post-COVID-19: A resilience-based framework. Tourism Management Perspectives, 37, 100786.

Sigala, M. and Baum, T. (2003). Trends and issues in tourism and hospitality higher education: Visioning the future. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4(4), 367-376.

Siow, M. L., Lockstone-Binney, L., Fraser, B., Cheung, C., Shin, J., Lam, R., et al. (2021). Re-building students’ post-covid-19 confidence in courses, curriculum and careers for tourism, hospitality, and events. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 33(4), 270-287.

Sisson, L. G. and Adams, A. R. (2013). Essential hospitality management competencies: The importance of soft skills. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 25(3), 131-145.

Spowart, J. (2011). Hospitality students' competencies: Are they work ready?. Journal of Human Resources in Hospitality & Tourism, 10(2), 169-181.

Super, D. E. and Knasel, E. G. (1981). Career development in adulthood: Some theoretical problems and a possible solution. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 9(2), 194-201.

Susskind, D. and Vines, D. (2020). The economics of the COVID-19 pandemic: An assessment. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 36(Supplement1), S1-S13.

Tas, R. F., LaBrecque, S. V. and Clayton, H. R. (1996). Property-management competencies for management trainees. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37(4), 90-96.

Tavitiyaman, P., Tsui, B. and Ng, P. M. L. (2023). Effect of Hospitality and Tourism Students’ Perceived Skills on Career Adaptability and Perceived Employability. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 1-12.

Tavitiyaman, P., Ren, L. and Fung, C. (2021). Hospitality students at the online classes during COVID-19–How personality affects experience?. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 28, 100304.

Teng, C. C. (2008). The effects of personality traits and attitudes on student uptake in hospitality employment. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 27(1), 76-86.

Tesone, D. V. and Ricci, P. (2006). Toward a definition of entry-level job competencies: Hospitality manager perspectives. International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration, 7(4), 65-80.

Tiwari, P., Séraphin, H. and Chowdhary, N. R. (2021). Impacts of COVID-19 on tourism education: Analysis and perspectives. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 21(4), 313-338.

Tomlinson, J., Baird, M., Berg, P. and Cooper, R. (2018). Flexible careers across the life course: Advancing theory, research and practice. Human Relations, 71(1), 4-22.

UNWTO. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on global tourism made clear as UNWTO counts the cost of standstill. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from, https://www.unwto.org/news/impact-of-covid-19-on-global-tourism-made-clear-as-unwto-counts-the-cost-of-standstill

Walsh, K. (2016). Applying career concepts to strengthen the work-attitudes of service professionals. The Service Industries Journal, 36(1-2), 58-79.

Wang, D., Cheung, C. and Zhai, X. (2024). Effects of career adaptability and career optimism on career intention of tourism and hospitality students. Tourism Review, 79(1), 24-37.

Wang, Y. F. (2013). Constructing career competency model of hospitality industry employees for career success. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(7), 994-1016.

Wang, Y. F. and Tsai, C. T. (2014). Employability of hospitality graduates: Student and industry perspectives. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 26(3), 125-135.

Wang, D., Cheung, C. and Zhai, X. (2024). Effects of career adaptability and career optimism on career intention of tourism and hospitality students. Tourism Review, 79(1), 24-37.

Wittekind, A., Raeder, S. and Grote, G. (2010). A longitudinal study of determinants of perceived employability. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(4), 566-586.

World Travel & Tourism Council. (2021). WTTC research reveals global Travel & Tourism sector suffered a loss of almost US$45 trillion in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. Retrieved February 20, 2024, from, https://wttc.org/news-article/global-tandt-sector-suffered-a-loss-of-almost-us4-trillion-in-2020

Wu, B. and Yang, W. (2018). What do Chinese consumers want? A value framework for luxury hotels in China. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(4), 2037-2055.

Xu, J., Tavitiyaman, P., Kim, H. J. and Lo, S. K. J. (2022). Hospitality and tourism higher education in the post-COVID era: Is it time to change?. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 34(4), 278-290.

Xu, H. (2021). Career decision-making from a dual-process perspective: Looking back, looking forward. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 126, 103556.

Ye, H. and Law, R. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 on hospitality and tourism education: A case study of Hong Kong. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 21(4), 428-436.

Zhang, W., Guan, X., Zhou, X. and Lu, J. (2019). The effect of career adaptability on career planning in reaction to automation technology. Career Development International, 24(6), 545-559.

Zhong, Y., Busser, J., Shapoval, V. and Murphy, K. (2021). Hospitality and tourism student engagement and hope during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education, 33(3), 194-206.