Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

 
Key Words
: Employability skills, Competence, Internship, Work experience, Industrial needed competence, 
Hospitality management students. 
INTRODUCTION 
Successful managers have the enthusiasm to respond to the changing needs and challenges of their 
organization (Woods & King, 2002). Some of these challenges are due to the changes affecting the hospitality 
industry today. Consequently, the curriculum and the methods used to prepare entry-level managers in this field 
should also be design to fit the demands of today’s industry. According to Nebel and Stearn (1977), hospitality 
managers should be able to provide effective leadership to employees. Similarly, in the book, titled 
10 things 
employers want you to learn in college: The know-how you need to succeed
, Coplin (2003) indicated that employers 
like to hire potential leaders who are skilled at stimulating people to take rational initiatives. Leadership skills are 
some of the employability skills most desired by employers. According to Peddle (2000), employers question the 
success of higher education programs in developing employability skills of graduates. Employability skills are 
defined as “transferable core skill groups that represent essential functional and enabling knowledge, skills and 
attitudes required by the 21
st
century workplace… necessary for career success at all levels of employment and for 
all levels of education” (Overtoom, 2000, p. 2). 
Are undergraduate hospitality education programs preparing students to be able to practice the 
employability skills needed by employers effectively? If not, can these programs be improved or changed to meet 
the demands of the employers? These are important questions that administrators and hospitality educators must 
answer in the near future.