Main Qualifications Required for Employment of Recreation Experts: The Perspective of Sector Representatives

Abstract

Recreation experts are employed in public institutions at a very limited level. Employment limitations in the public institutions direct the graduates of the recreation department to the private sector. This situation necessitates that the qualifications of the recreation department graduates must coincide with the characteristics that the private sector sought in the recreation expert. In line with this requirement, the aim of the research is to determine the basic characteristics required of the recreation department graduates to be employed in the recreation industry in Turkey. In the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the participants who were determined by the criterion sampling method. The research group consists of senior managers of businesses that provide sports recreation, tourism recreation, shopping recreation, park recreation, adventure recreation and outdoor recreation services with a high number of employment. Content analysis, one of the qualitative data analysis methods, was conducted on the data obtained as a result of the interviews. When the research findings are examined, it is seen that the characteristics sought in recreation graduates are gathered under five themes. The resulting features can be used as a guide in the recomposition of training programs and in the employment processes. In this study, suggestions are presented on the basic characteristics of recreation department graduates needed in industry and the development of recreation department education programs.