Hospitality Management Competency: Framework to Match Expectations of Academia and Industry in Ghana

Abstract

The main purpose of the study was to propose a framework to match the competencies of hospitality graduates with the expectations of hospitality industries in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. Overall, 12 educators (five heads of departments and seven lecturers) were purposely selected from five (5) Technical Universities through a forum via Zoom to discuss the outcomes of the study in proposing the framework. The instrument used was a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data collected. The study results revealed that most of the educators, 10 (83.3%), were females and had worked for more than ten (10) years in the hospitality academic setting. The study revealed that there exists a gap between hospitality educators and the hospitality industry in Ghana. The study revealed that broader stakeholder consultation, student-related measures such as student orientation and specialization, technical/practical education, and lecturer-related measures such as encouraging lecturers to research and gain industry experience included measures to bridge the gap between hospitality academia and industry. Based on the findings and review of related literature, the study suggests a framework that can be implemented by hospitality educators in Ghana to match the competencies of hospitality graduates with those required by the hospitality industry.