Skills shortages and development in the travel industry

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• Skills shortages and development in the travel
  industry
• Prof Berendien Lubbe
• Department Tourism Management
• University of Pretoria
• 21 June 2007

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Content

• Some realities
• Reasons for skills shortages
• The corporate travel environment
• Skills gaps in the corporate environment
• Skills development
• Tertiary education

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• There is definitely evidence of a growing
  skills shortage, with a potential shortfall of
  between 1.5 and two million skilled people over
  the next ten years. Conversely, though, the
  country is experiencing a boom in matric-level
  and graduate unemployment. (Vicki Robinson, Mail
  Guardian)
• matric-level unemployment rates have risen from
  25 in 1995 to 40 in 2005, while tertiary-level
  unemployment rates have risen from 6 to 15 over
  the same time frame. (JCP International)

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• The reason there is such an antithesis between
  actual and expected employment levels is that
  graduates and matric students are not being
  equipped with the necessary skills for the
  skilled jobs available. (Vicki Robinson, Mail
  Guardian)
• University does not prepare SAs youth for many
  of the challenges they face as they make the
  transition from college to career. (Sunday Times
  April 2007)

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Reasons for skills shortages in the travel
industry

• Reasons
• Development of industry
• Booking agents Travel agents - TMCs
• Increasing specialization
• Leisure Business - Corporate
• Lack of coordination between education planning
  and industry

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The corporate travel environment
Corporate
TMC
Supplier
Supplier
Travel manager Travel consultant
Supplier
Supplier
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Skills gaps in the travel industry

• Specialized tourism-related gaps
• Consultancy
• Technical skills
• Business skills
• Travel management
• Strategic skills
• Management skills

• Transportable skills gaps across sectors
• Management
• Strategic
• Financial
• IT
• Operations
• ICT
• General Networking skills
• Language and communication

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Skills development

• Guiding principles
• Should respond to industry needs and requirements
• Constant review of market changes and skills
  demanded

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What are we doing at tertiary level

• Knowledge-based (Tourism degree)
• Traditional Universities
• Universities of Technology

• Occupationally-directed
• (Diploma, certificate)
• Universities of Technology
• Private Colleges
• Continuing professional education

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Are university graduates required for careers in
this sector?

• Tourism degrees relative newcomers growing
  numbers
• Diverse - various specializations
• Objectives
• Generate future employees for development and
  expansion of tourism industry
• Establish status of tourism as a prominent
  research oriented discipline

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What do we teach them?

• Knowledge
• Creative thinking
• Critical thinking
• Problem-solving
• Research skills
• Professionalism
• Personal autonomy

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BCOM TOURISM MANAGEMENT (UP)

• Undergraduate
• Foundation subjects BCom
• Specialization Tourism Management
• Academic
• Practical courses
• Practical work
• Postgraduate
• Honours specializing in Tourism sub disciplines
• Strategic tourism management
• Tourism distribution
• Destination marketing
• Hospitality
• Research project
• Masters and doctorates

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• International agreements
• Example
• NHTV University Breda, Netherlands
• Business travel programme (Herman Mensink)
• Cross cultural issues in tourism

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Future of tourism travel education

• Tourism majors must gain some level of practical
  experience
• Partnerships with industry should be actively
  sought (e.g. internships)
• Engender graduate commitment to tourism industry
• Regular updating of academic sources
• Incorporate cross-cultural issues

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Earned loyalty (Kitch Christie to the Springbok
World Cup Squad 1995)

• You can buy a mans time you can buy his
  physical presence at a given place you can even
  buy a measured number of his skilled muscular
  motions per hour.
• But you cannot buy enthusiasm... you cannot buy
  loyalty you cannot buy devotion of hearts,
  minds and souls.
• These you must EARN.

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• THANK YOU