Διερεύνηση της συμβατότητας της τουριστικής εκπαίδευσης και κατάρτισης με τις ανάγκες της τουριστικής αγοράς

Abstract

The contribution of tourism to our country’s economic and social progress is unquestionable. Over the last decades, tourism industry has experienced continuous growth and diversification, making it one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world today. At the same time, the contribution of tourism education and training to the shaping of human resources, before and after introducing tourism market in the tourism development of our country, is undisputed. It is worth mentioning that in the field of tourism, its human resources are closely linked to the intended competitive advantage that is no other for Greek tourism than service quality. Quality human resources services are built exclusively through education and training and even through quality educational programs. The better, the more reliable and compatible with the needs of tourism market the education and training programs are, the better the outcome will be for the outflow that is for the recipients of this education and training. It seems that in recent years tourism has proved to be a bulwark against recession and a key factor in reducing unemployment for Greek economy. Tourism is also one of the few sectors with an ongoing and strong investment interest that can contribute to sustainable development. At the same time, the investment interest is now shifting to the quality of services provided and to the education and training of human resources. Given the importance of tourism for our country, coordinating public policies based on a centralized planning to link tourism education and training to the needs of the tourism industry and employment is an urgent and absolute priority in order to maintain and increase the competitiveness of Greek tourism. The ongoing debate focuses on how the theoretical and practical knowledge provided to tourism professionals can meet the needs of the tourism sector in a more productive and efficient workforce. The preparation of this work aims at contributing to the dialogue on better tourism education and training compatible with the needs of tourism market. As a research subject we are examining the case of the Ministry of Tourism's IEK.