An evaluation of tourism industry perceptions of tourism programmes of selected further- higher education in the Western Cape

Abstract

The research aims (i) to evaluate possible differences in the practical application of knowledge and skills learning concepts employed by selected further- and higher education institutions in the Western Cape; (ii) to evaluate the Western Cape tourism industry’s awareness of the differences in tourism educational programmes and qualifications offered by the relevant institutions. The research methodology for the project has, via a literature search and empirical survey, evaluated the extent of differences in practical application that exist among tourism educational programmes offered by further- and higher education institutions respectively, in the Western Cape. It seeks to establish the possible impact these differences could impose on knowledge levels of graduates and on their employability. In the literature search, inter alia, relevant sources were consulted. A number of applicable normative criteria were extracted from the literature, followed by an empirical survey in which randomly selected tourism professionals practicing in the Western Cape were approached to complete questionnaires. The responses to the empirical survey were codified on a computer data-base and were statistically analysed with the assistance of a registered statistician. The findings and interpretations of the statistical analyses were presented as tables and charts and were individually explained. A number of recommendations have been made, followed by relevant, concluding remarks.