A Survey-Based Education Needs Analysis of Employment Support Programs for Hospitality Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze employment support programs that should be prioritized for hospitality undergraduate students in Korea, given the lack of such programs that are tailored to students’ majors. Using a questionnaire survey, we measured the differences between the perceived importance and the perceived current level of availability of employment support programs recognized by 384 students enrolled in hospitality-related courses. Both 2-year and 4-year majors recognized employment information support, certificate programs, career seminars, overseas training support, field practice programs, and overseas employment support as high-priority programs. Individual career counseling, mentoring, and industry–academic cooperation courses were the highest priority programs that should be applied to 2-year majors, but in the case of 4-year majors, these three programs were found to be relatively well supported by universities. Mock interviews, language programs, and employment-related courses were the top priority programs to support 4-year majors. However, 2-year majors perceived that mock interviews and language programs were of low importance, and there was little difference between the importance and current level of employment-related courses. It is necessary to develop support programs from the learner’s point of view by accurately grasping the needs for employment support programs.

Systematic Literature Review of Higher Education and Unemployment in Asian Countries

“…As a result of having difficulty getting a job after graduation, students acquire support programs from the university. Students need a guide to improve their soft skills, leadership skills, skills in the use of technology need to be disclosed to boost the marketability of university graduates (Na et. al., 2021;Yoon et.al., 2020;Lim et.al., 2018).…”

“…These situations lead the universities to make an effort to solve the problem of youth unemployment by developing various employment support programs to improve student career development and employment capabilities. Research was conducted by Na and Lee (2021) to analyse employment support programs that should be prioritized for hospitality undergraduate students in Korea. Results showed that employment support programmes to be given top priority varied depending on the school year of the students.…”