Engendering twenty-first century workplace literacy for the hospitality industry: exploring the role of the academic library

Abstract

With global competition, sustainable development and economic growth in mind, organisations are under constant pressure to change and stay current. In the knowledge society, where twenty-first century attributes are key, the ability to use information towards continuous learning and evolution in the workplace is imperative. Among other qualities, sound workplace literacy is a necessary attribute that students, as prospective employees, must attain. Student learning must be augmented with relevant experiences to develop a range of literacies related to creativity, innovation, communication, collaboration and the effective use of information in a world where technology evolves rapidly. Higher education needs a better understanding of industry requirements related to the literacies and other attributes expected from graduates entering the market. Exploring industry-related needs, aligning support and library services accordingly and improving interdepartmental collaboration within higher education will better prepare students for the demands in the challenging and fast-changing world of work. This paper reports on a literature review and the findings of a survey on required workplace literacies in a sector of the hospitality and tourism industry. It highlights the importance of more effective collaboration between academics and librarians in supporting the development of workplace literacy. To this aim, a purposively selected target population in a leading South African hotel group was approached. Evidence shows that there is a gap between the level of workplace literacy support offered to students and the actual literacy needs reported by the target group. Based on the findings and extrapolating from recent research, a meta-literacy framework is offered in support of developing twentyfirst century workplace literacies.

Bonding between information literacy and personal information management practices: a survey of electronic media journalists

“…Hence, discipline-wise frameworks were developed. Moreover, a number of research and literature-based models proposed by various researchers focusing on different working environments and contexts (Jinadu and Kaur, 2014; Molopyane and Fourie, 2015; Van Wyk and Jacobs, 2019; Hepworth and Smith, 2008). Researchers suggested meta-literacies and additional ethical and communication skills for employees.…”