Arts and Leisure, where he teaches on the MA Tourism Management degree. He coordinates the delivery of management training to tourism and hospitality businesses and his research and consultancy interests include the strategic and operational management of visitor attractions. Rachel Livesey ABSTRACT KEYWORDS: tourism destinations , tourism and hospitality, SMEs, training, lifestyle fi rmsThis paper contends that tourism destination competitiveness depends upon a viable community of small tourism and hospitality firms that often collectively represent the destination product. It is argued that the requirement for tourism destinations to deliver high-quality service and products, coupled with the labour intensive nature of the industry, results in a need for businesses to recruit and retain well-educated and well-trained professionals. The findings of a sub-regional research project that explored small tourism and hospitality firm attitudes to training and training provision are presented. It is concluded that, while there is a range of tailored training provision available to such firms, they perceive several key barriers to prevent them from fully engaging with this. In conclusion, it is suggested that it may be the ' lifestyle ' -oriented nature of many such firms that is the most fundamental determining factor in training orientation.

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of a "university learning laboratory" as an example of providing experiential learning opportunities as part of a vocational degree programme. It presents a model of how to extend industry participation in degree programmes beyond internships and work placements and demonstrates the benefits of including knowledge transfer as part of the curriculum design of vocational degrees. Design/methodology/approach -This paper adopts a qualitative case study approach to share experiences of a university based in the UK. Findings -Vocational degrees that develop the concepts of the discipline within the context of where they are applied are providing "work ready" graduates for industry. Practical implications -This paper summarizes the key benefits of engaging industry more extensively in the design and delivery of vocational degree programmes. It highlights a new type of stakeholder partnership and a collective responsibility for vocational curricula in higher education. Originality/value -This paper draws on Michael Eraut's work on the transfer of knowledge between education and the workplace.

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