Implementation of Hospitality Programme to Facilitate Skills Acquisition among Trainees in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Abstract

Tourism and hospitality as a labour-intensive industry is forecasted to continue growing despite various turbulent in different parts of the world. As the sector continue to evolve, the need for skilled human resources increases. However, industry professionals are complaining about the quality of human resources. While some authors have addressed the issue in relation to graduates’ skills possession and the nature of services they render, the researcher could not find a study that has addressed the issue in relation to how this programme is implemented to facilitate skills acquisition among college trainees. This study was set to answer the main research question: how is VET hospitality programme implemented to contribute to skills development among the trainees in Arusha region? The study employed convergent design whereby qualitative and quantitative data sets were collected concurrently. The target population involved trainers for Food and Beverages Sales and Services, Front Office Operations, trainees, heads of department, hotel managers, supervisors and graduates. Random sampling of training institutions and purposive sampling of hotels were used to determine the study sample. Data were collected through questionnaire for trainees, graduates and supervisors, classroom observation schedule, interview guide with the hotel managers and heads of department, scheduled interview with the trainers and content analysis of programme document. The findings for this study indicated that VET programme for Food and Beverages Service and Sales and Front Office Operations are not sufficiently implemented to facilitate skills acquisition among the trainees. The study recommended that VETA as the authorizing body for all VET institutions to conduct regular monitoring and evaluation in these institutions so as to ascertain whether the requirements for training provision are adhered to.