Cultivating State-of-the-Art Competencies and 21st Century Skills for Hospitality Management Students A Learning and Development Model

Abstract

In this study desired competencies were examined in relation to the 21st century skills of Hospitality Management students. The survey results revealed that students were competent in terms of being cooperative, following instructions, getting along with others, being dependable and productive, taking initiative, and displaying workplace competencies, but less competent in the quality of their work. The students’ 21st century skills were also good or manifested to a great extent in their collaboration skills, personal and workplace skills, self-direction skills, thinking and reasoning skills, and creativity and innovation skills. However, their information and communication skills were not as strong. Correlation existed between desired competencies and students’ 21st century skills, revealing that those with highly-desired competencies also manifested 21st century skills. Students experienced issues regarding management of the company and confusion about their work assignments. It can be concluded that students’ lack of information and communication skills influenced their quality of work, and led to concerns with the company where on-the-job training was conducted. Hence, to cultivate state-of-the art skills, a learning and development model was formulated that focused on improving their quality of work, and strengthening their information and communication skills.