Career Orientation

CAREER ORIENTATION AND INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS OF CARIBBEAN HOTEL AND TOURISM
MANAGEMENT STUDENTS
Author(s): Kwame R. Charles
Source: Social and Economic Studies, Vol. 41, No. 1 (MARCH 1992), pp. 1-19
Published by: Sir Arthur Lewis Institute of Social and Economic Studies , University of the
West Indies
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Social and Economic Studies 41:1 (1992)
ISSN: 0037-7651
CAREER ORIENTATION AND INDUSTRY

PERCEPTIONS OF CARIBBEAN HOTEL AND
STUDENTS
TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Kwame R. Charles, Ph.D.
Centre
for Hotel and Tourism Management,
Lecturer,
University of theWest Indies, Nassau, Bahamas
Abstract
This paper presents thefindings of a study of the career orientation
and industry perceptions of undergraduate hotel management and
tourism management
students enrolled
in theHotel
and Tourism
Programme at the University of theWest Indies. All

Management
students enrolled in the programme during the academic
year
1989-90 were surveyed at the beginning and at the end of the year.
'
The results of the study provide insights into these students views
their career
choices, working in the industry, perceived

employment opportunities and career path expectations. The study
found major differences betweeen students pursuing a hotel man
about
as opposed
to students pursuing a tourism man
agement degree; among students from different territories in the
were
region; and between the two surveys. The latter
' differences
to
to
be
students
attributable
primarily
industry internship
found
agement degree
experience.Thefindingsof thestudysuggestthathoteland tourism

and
students may need more academic preparation
that
the
the
and
experience before entering
industry,
management
practical
needs tobe betterprepared toreceiveand retainhoteland

industry
tourism management
graduates.
INTRODUCTION
The Centre forHotel and TourismManagement (CHTM) of
theUniversity of theWest Indies (UWI) has been graduating
students inhotel management
and tourism management
since 1979
pp. 1-19
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES
1987, respectively. The programme was established to edu

cate, train and generally prepare students to assume future leader
and
ship roles intheCaribbean hoteland tourismindustry an industry
that has seen rapid expansion and growth over the last two decades
and Charles for a description of the programme].1
[See O'Reilly
Since its inception in 1978, no research has been done to determine
what kind of student is attracted to a career in hotel and tourism

the
what motivations,
aspirations and expectations
have and how these may influence the student's
of his or her career and of the industry.
management,
student may
perception
Some
research has been done with graduates of the pro

In a survey conducted five years after the
however.
gramme,
establishment
of the programme, O'Reilly2 found that over half of

the graduates responding to the survey were not directly employed
in the hotel and tourism industry. Graduates in this study cited lack
o?experience, a depressed tourism industry and poor salaries as the
main problems encountered in securing a suitable job upon gradu

ation. Graduates also gave foreign domination of the industry and
a lack of "meaningful" employment opportunities as theirmajor
frustrations and disappointments. Finally, graduates in this study
a desire towork their way up the organizational
ladder
as
to
to
the
and
contribute
the development of
theirmain
industry
mentioned
goals.
In contrast to the paucity of career research among Caribbean

hotel and tourism management
students, a great deal of literature
exists on the career orientation of American hospitality students,
which has contributedtotheteachingandpracticeofhoteland tour
in that country [e.g., Knutson].3 The research

was
patterned after similar research conducted with
reported here
students.
American hotel and tourism management
ism management
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to gather baseline information on
students with respect to
Caribbean hotel and tourism management
career
orientation and their perceptions of theCaribbean hotel
their
Career Orientation
and tourism industry. The research was, therefore, exploratory in

nature. Another important objective of the study was tomeasure
changes in students* views over time as a function of their under
graduate experience. The overall objective of the research was to
help educators, the industry and the students themselves under
stand better the needs, expectations and aspirations of hotel and
students and thus better prepare them for
tourism management
their transition to the world of work.
For purposes of this research, "career orientation" was de

fined in terms of students' stated preferences for employment
within the hotel and tourism industry and the factors influencing
their career choices; "industry perceptions" was defined in terms of

views and expectations about working in the industry
students'
upon graduation.
METHOD
Two surveys were conducted
on students enrolled
in theHotel
and
TourismManagement Programmeat theCHTM/UWI during the

1989/90academic year. In Survey I, all of the42 second and third
enrolled in the programme were given a survey

to
questionnaire
complete during the first week of the first term.
The survey instrument contained 26 closed and open-ended ques
to obtain
Items were designed
tions and was self-administered.
year students
data, to describe the characteristics of the student

at
the time of the survey, and to obtain students' views
population
of their career choices and the industry. Students were asked to
demographic
indicatewhat influencedtheirchoice of career; theirjob prefer

ences and expectations about working in and stayingwith the
Students were also asked their opinion of
opportunities in the industry.
industry after graduation.
employment
as to students' sex, age group, nationality and working

experience were also collected so as to determine the relationship,
if any, between these variables and students' views.
Data
Survey II was conductedduring thefinalweek of classes in
the second
term of the same academic
year. Students were again
asked
This
to complete a questionnaire similar to the one in Survey I.

instrument contained 25 questions and differed from the first
in terms of replacement of career influence questions with

questions designed to determine the factors influencing students1
only
views during the academic
year.
Forty usable questionnaires were returned in Survey

in Survey II, representing response rates of 95.2 per cent
to the small size of the
per cent, respectively. Due
were used to analyze
and
statistics
frequencies
descriptive
I and 38
and 90.5
samples,
the data.
RESULTS
Student Profile
The
typical student enrolled in the UWFs

in the 1989/90
Management
Programme
Hotel
and Tourism
year was
or
22
from
Trinidad
and
female,
Jamaica,
years old,
Tobago
in hotel management with less than 2 years working
specializing
experience in general and even less hotel and tourism industry ex
Table
perience.
1 summarizes
academic
students' demographic
data.
Analysis of the data revealed that the major predictor vari

vs tourism
ables were area of specialization
(hotel management
are
the
main
and
These
variables
used in
management)
nationality.
presenting
Career
the results of the study.
Influences
Students were
asked
to indicate what
influenced
them most
to
choose a career in the hotel and tourism industry. Their statements

were content analyzed and five main categories of responses were
identified.
Table 2 shows therankingof career influencesstatedby
different categories of students. It indicates that, in general, stu

dents surveyed were drawn to a career in hotel and tourism
managementby a varietyof influences.

Primaryamong theseis that
are
that
they
"people oriented",
theyperceive that the industry
holds potentialemploymentopportunitiesforthem,and theyhave
a personal interestin the industry.
On closer scrutiny,thefindings
indicate thatHotel Management
(HM) students were more
inclined
Career Orientation
TABLE
1.RESPONDENTS'
PROFILE:
SURVEY
I
%
AGE
Below
20-24
20 13 32.5
15
6
4
2
25-29
Above 29
No Response
SEX
Male
Female
37.5
15.0
10.0
5.0
15.0
34
85.0
10
25.0
11
27.5
NATIONALITY
Jamaica
Trinidad & Tobago 18 45.0
Other (Bahamas, Barbados, OECS
No Response
countries)
2.5
AREA OF SPECIALIZATION
Hotel Management
28 70.Q
12 30.0
Tourism Management
HOTEL/TOURISM WORK EXPERIENCE

None
Less than 1Year
More than1Year
No Response
10 25.0
23
6
1
57.5
15.0
2.5
OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

11
None
Less than1Year
1-2Years
27.5
20.0
10 25.0
More Than 3 Years
No Response
10 25.0
2.5
to give the people-oriented

responses whereas Tourism Manage
ment (TM) students cited the opportunity to contribute to the devel
opment of their respective countries as the influencing factor. This
last response category
graduates, cited above.
TABLE
By Area
is similar
to O'Reilly's2
2. CAREER
findings among
INFLUENCES
of Specialization
Response
HM
%
Categories
People Orientation
Employment Opportunities
Personal Interest
JobCharacteristics
Opportunity toContribute
Other Influences
28.6
17.9
21.4
14.3
3.6
14.3
Specialization
TM
%
Total
%
11.1
22.2
-
24.3
18.9
11.1
33.3
22.2
16.2
13.5
10.8
16.2
By Nationality
Response
J'ca
Categories
People Orientation
Employment Opportunities
Personal Interest
?
Job Characteristics
Opportunity toContribute
50.0
?
17.6
17.6
Other Influences
Nationality
T&T
Other
17.6
9.1
35.3
9.1
25.05.9 27.3
18.6
?
9.1
25.0
27.3 5.9
to nationality, Jamaican students gave more

responses, students from Trinidad and Tobago
"people-oriented"
(T&T) more "employment opportunity" responses, and students
With
respect
from the smaller
territories more
"personal
interest" responses.
Career Orientation
Career
Preferences
As mightbe expected,HM andTM studentsdifferedintheirchoice

ofwhich sectorof the industrytheywould like towork inafter
graduation.Over 2/3of theHM studentsinSurvey I and over 3/4
inSurvey II opted for thehotel sectorand at leasthalfof theTM
students in each survey chose national tourism organizations (NTOs:
of tourism, tourist boards, etc.) as the sector in which
in the
they would wish to work. There was a marked decrease
ministries
of HM students desiring a career in food service (full

service and fast food restaurants, catering) between Survey I and
Survey II. This is possibly due to the fact that students came to the
number
that not toomany fast food chains and restaurants in the

hire university graduates. There was no major change
among TM students, although in both surveys a large percentage
careers such as education and
opted for non-industry-specific
realization
Caribbean
consultancy.
Table 3 shows students* industry sector preferences and also
area or department preferences within the industry. In both sur
veys, HM and TM students showed differing area/department pref
erences, with HM students exercising a larger number of c ptions
In Survey I, HM students showed an equal

in
the food and beverage and human resources
preference
areas, while sales/marketing/promotions was chosen most by TM
students. In Survey II, food and beverage retained its first place
than TM
students.
towork
among HM students while human resources management dropped

to fourth place behind operations and sales/marketing/promotions.
Among TM students, themost noticeable change occurring be
tweenSurvey I and Survey II was theshiftfromaccountingand
finance to other areas like research and development. It is not clear

students' class
what may have prompted these shifts. However,
room exposure to these areas and their internship experiences may
them to change their interests. There were
differences due to nationality on these questions.
influenced
have
major
no
were asked to indicatewhich one of

In both surveysstudents
several
items was
the most
important to them in selecting
an
oo
I i
On
60.0
10.0
55.5 11.1
30.0
22.2 11.1
Survey
HM
TM %
81.5
3.7
7.4
30.8 11.5 15.4
7.4
50.0 16.7
25.0 8.3
7.7
15.4
19.2
58.3 16.7 16.7
8.3
Survey
I
TM %
HM
71.4 14.33.6
10.7
26.9
26.9 11.5 3.8 11.5
19.4
TABLE
3.
CAREER
PREFERENCES
Misc.
(e.g.
education,
consultancy)
Sales/Mkting/Promotions
&
Food
Beverage
Human
Resources
Accounting/Finance
Service
Food
Sector
Industry
the
of
Hotel
Operations
(Hotel,
Tour,
etc.)
Travel,
(e.g.
Other
Research
&
Development)
Airline
NTOs
Area/Department
Undecided
Undecided
tant
Opportunity
for
growth
Professional
Survey
II
Good
Salary1
Interesting
Work
Factors
Selecting
in
an
Organization
with
which
to
Work
Opportunity
for
Growth
Professional
1.
I
Survey
Chance
For
2.
Promotion
3.
Work
Not
in
Survey
I
included
Interesting
10
for which to work after graduation. There were no

organization
major differences between HM and TM students or among the
different nationalities on this question. In both surveys, students
the opportunity for professional growth as the most
important factor in selecting an organization. The consistency
between the two surveys stops here, however, as Table 3 indicates.
considered
"Interesting work" moved from third place in Survey I to second

place in Survey II, while "good salary" replaced "chance for
in the top three in Survey II. It should be noted that
promotion"
salary" was
Survey I.
"good
not included
in the list given
to students
in
The results suggest that students were consistent and insistent

in their desire for professional growth in an organization and, to a
lesser extent, in the need for interesting work. But, notwithstanding
these intrinsic factors, they did not lose sight of the importance of
extrinsic factors like salary.

Career
Expectations
questions were designed to find out students' expectations

of the industry forwhich theywere being prepared. Table 4 shows
students' responses to these questions over the two surveys. In
Several
students seemed to temper their expectations between

I
and Survey II. This is clearest in students' entry-level
Survey
trainee posi
expectations. More students chose themanagement
general,
tion in Survey II than in Survey I. This difference was much more

among TM students. No major nationality differences
marked
were found on thismeasure.

Another
expectations
general finding was that HM students have higher

about the industry than TM students. HM students
expected tobe higherup in theirorganizationsafterfive years, to

be promotedmore quickly,and anticipated
moving fromtheirfirst
Con
organization much sooner than their TM counterparts.
a
TM
to
of
in the
number
remain
smaller
students
versely,
expected
industry after five years. This number
between Survey I and Survey II.
decreased
even
further
20.0
80.0
74.114.8
66.733.3
11.1
27.3
59.1
4.5
9.1
40.0
60.0
20.0
20.0
60.0
29.6
70.4
51.814.8
33.3
60.0
40.0
3.7
85.2
11.1
I
Survey
TM
HM
Not
75.0
Yes 8.3
No
3.6 Sure
16.7
10.7
85.7
4.
TABLE
CAREER
EXPECTATIONS
"As
Other
(e.g.,
7.416.7
Anticipated
Consultant)
Owner,
Long
as
Length
29.155.5
Management
63.0
58.3 18.5
Manager
Department
22.2
50.0
Department
11.1
16.7
Manager
8.3 4.2 Manager
11.1
Supervisor/Asst.
Trainee
Supervisor/Asst.
Expected into
Entry
Industry
%%Manager
Manager
General
11.1
16.7
Trainee After
Within
85.2
41.6
58.3 2Years
14.8
2
Level
Management
Other
Owner) ? ?
(e.g.,
Expected
After
5
Years
Years
Expected
Level First
me
Right"
30.8
First
Organization
with
Expect
tobeTreat Industry
Working
in5 Years
the
They in
Stay
Less
3Years
.30.8
18.2
of than
54.5
38.4
3-10
Years
Promotion
27.3
12 SOCIALANDECONOMICSTUDIES
These findingssuggest thatTM studentssee themselvesat a

greaterdisadvantage thanHM studentswith respecttogrowthand
advancement
in the industry and are, therefore, less likely to remain
in it.
When coupledwith students*desire forprofessionalgrowth
from an organization,
TM
students* greater uncertainty
about
stayingin theindustryisunderstandable,given theirperceptionof
it. In other words, what TM students seem to be saying is: "We want
but we
opportunities for professional growth from an organization,
"
don't expect to find this in tourism organizations!
Career
Perceptions
questions sought tomeasure

attitudes toward their career choice
Several
students' perceptions of and

and the Caribbean
hotel and
tourism industry. Students were asked to indicate what they liked

best and least about their career choice. Students* likes remained
across
the two surveys. Students used words such as

"challenging'*, "flexible", "stimulating", "creative", "innovative",
to describe what they liked best about their career choice. The
consistent
ability tomeet people was also cited as a positive
factor about the
industry.
themajor findingwas an
Among thedislikesof theindustry,
increase in thenumberof responses identifying
"qualityof life"
issues from Survey
I to Survey II. Such responses
included refer
ence to longworkinghours,workingweekends andnightsand their

inevitableeffectson social and family life.By the timeof the
second survey, this concern preoccupied almost half of the students
sampled. Not surprisingly, HM students were more concerned
were
about qualityof lifeissues thanTM students,
while thelatter
more concernedaboutjob securityand thenegativeview of tour
ism in the region. This latter concern among TM students increased
dramatically between Survey I and Survey II. Nationality was not
an important factor on either of these measures.
Table 5 shows
career perception
findings.
Another interestingfindingwas thedecrease in students*
career satisfaction between
the two surveys. Whereas
almost 60 per
3.8
20.0
20.0 30.0 30.0
20.0
50.0 40.0 10.0
16.7
40.759.3
Survey
TM
HM%
40.0 20.0
20.0
50.0 30.8
15.4
58.3 8.3
4.2
12.5
ISurvey
TABLE
5.
PERCEPTIONS
CAREER
Ratings
of Career
Dislikes
and
Quality
Likes
Job
Opportunity
to10.7
16.7
Contribute
HM
TM
Negative
View
Tourism
of
8.3
7.4
40.7
of
14.8
8.3 16.7 Somewhat
Politics
satisfied
41.7
40.7
Issues
57.1
33.3
Organizational
Meeting21.4
16.7
Responses
Other
41.7
22.3
Responses
Other
33.3
10.7
59.3
Very
People
Job
14.8
25.0
LifeSecurity
Characteristics
Likes %
?
?
Satisfaction
CareerSatisfiedDissatisfied
Dislikes
58.3
14
cent were very satisfied with their career choice in Survey I, this
number dropped to 42 per cent in Survey II. The decrease was most
among HM students, although TM students also expe
rienced a slight dip in satisfaction. This finding does not augur well
for the retention and satisfaction of these students in the industry.
noticeable
Perceptions ofEmploymentOpportunities in theCaribbean

Four questions
tried to tap students' perceptions of employment

for hotel management
opportunities
graduates in the Caribbean
in general and in their home countries

in particular. The major differences on thesemeasures were nation
ality differences. As might be expected, given the level of tourism
in Trinidad and Tobago, students from this country

development
were much more skeptical about employment opportunities for
HM and TM students at home than were other students. This is
notwithstanding the fact that the same students identified employ
ment opportunities as a major reason for choosing their careers.
This apparent contradiction among T&T students suggests that
conflict with
theymay be experiencing an "approach-avoidance"
career
an
to
their
chosen
in
that
respect
promises much but
industry
which may not deliver.
felt more positive about job
than in tourism management
both in their home country and in the Caribbean region as a whole.
In general, students surveyed
opportunities in hotel management
This findingisconsistent
with theview thatemploymentopportu
nities inNTOs
and other non-hotel-related
tourism organizations
are limitedin theCaribbean. (See Table 6).

were asked iftheywould be willing towork
Finally,students
in a Caribbean
country other than their own. In Survey I almost

towork in other Carib
the
of
students
2/3
expressed a willingness
bean countries. Only 5 per cent (two students) indicated that they
would not work in a country other than their own. In Survey II, the
numberwilling towork outsideof theirhome countryjumped to

78.4 per cent.Themajor contributorto thischangewas theincrease
in thenumberof studentsfromthesmaller territories
indicatinga
%
Other
62.5 37.5
77.8
T&T
%
12.5
22.2
62.5 37.5
87.6
25.0 75.0
25.0
50.0
81.9 18.2
Other
70.0
63.7 36.4
60.0
9.1 27.3
63.6
40.0
T&T
38.9 61.1
87.5
30.0
50.0
72.8 27.3
TABLE
6.
STUDENTS'
VIEWS
EMPLOYMENT
OF
OPPORTUNITIES
BY
NATIONALITY
I
Survey
12.5
43.8 56.3
75.0
Survey
J'ca
88.9 11.1
66.7 33.3
64.7
33.3 66.7
60.0
77.8
Yes
45.5
35.3
Maybe
20
22.2
54.5
Rating
of
Tourism
Employment
Management
Opportunities
One's
in
Own
Country
Rating
of Hotel
J'ca
Rating
Hotel
of
Employment
Opportunities
One's
management
in
Own
Country
Rating
Management
Tourism
of
Employment
the
Opportunities
Caribbean
in
Management
80.0 20.0
Fair
33.3
Poor
?16.7
50.0
9.1
Opportunities
50.0
Good?
90.9
Excellent
83.3
66.7
,
70.0 30.0
in The Caribbean
20
No
-?
55.6 44.4
Employment
'Willing
to
Caribbean
Work
in
Country
athan
Other
Your
Own?"
Excellent
Poor
Good?
Good?
Excellent
Excellent
Poor
Fair
?
Poor
Fair
?
Good
Fair
16 SOCIALANDECONOMICSTUDIES
H s numberalmost
willingness towork outsideof theircountries.
doubled from45.5 per cent inSurvey I lo 88.9 per cent inSurvey
IL It is unclear what could have accounted
for this large increase.
It is possible thatstudentsfrom thesmallar territories

had not
considered thispossibilityuntil interacting
with theircounterparts
from the larger territories, who had no apprehensions
about work
ingincountriesotherthantheirown andwere thusinfluenced.HM

and TM studentswere equally willing to work in Caribbean
countries other than their own.
Factors InfluencingStudents' Views

Students inSurvey II were asked to identify
thefactorwhich had
themost
influence on their views of their careers and the industry.
The overwhelming
majority (60 per cent) identifiedtheirintern
ship experience as having the greatest effect on their views. This

was followed by CHTM
courses (28.6 per cent). CHTM
faculty
and opinions/experiences
of other students and alumni had little
impact on students' views. There were no nationality or specializa
tiondifferenceson thisfinding.This findingsuggests thecritical

for shaping
importance of the students* internship experience
their attitudes and perceptions of their chosen careers and of the
industry.
DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONSOF THE FINDINGS

The major findingsof thisstudycentrearound thedifferencesin
career
influences, preferences, perceptions and expectations be

tween hotel management and tourism management students, among
students from different countries and between the two measures of
students* responses. In general, the hotel management students in

would like to work in the food
this study were "people-oriented",
and beveragedepartment
of a hoteland had higherexpectationsof
entry intoand advancementwjthin the industrythandid their
tourism management
tourism manage
counterparts. Conversely,
drawn to their career because
it
they felt
'
to
their countries de
presented both opportunities for contributing
same
At
for
the
and
time, they were
velopment
employment.
ment
students were
17
Career Orientation
nities. On
about the unstable nature of these emptoymet? opportu

the other hand, hotel ma?agemeat
students were more
concerned
about "quality of life* issues.
concerned
Some of the tourismmanagementfindings interacted

with
nationality since as many as 67 percent of thetourism management
studentswere fromTrinidad and Tobago. Tins would explain the

tendency among
tourism management
students lo be drawn
to the
industryby the possibilityof employmentopportunitiesas die
present government
of Trinidad
and Tobago
has embarked
on a
tourismthrustto bolster its falteringeconomy. This would also
explain
tourism management
students'
concern
for job security,
of thesuccess of thisthrust
given theuncertainty
Other findingsof thesurveys suggest thatCaribbean hotel
students desire opportunities
for profes
sional growthfrom theirorganizations,are willing towork in
countries other than their own and like what they

as
the excitement, stimulation, creativity and flexibility of
perceive
their career choice (job characteristics).
Caribbean
The findingsof thisstudyhavewide-rangingimplicationsfor
in the
the teaching and practice of hotel and tourism management
For example, from an educational perspective,
Caribbean.
they
show the strong influenceand great importanceof the industry
practicum on the views and perceptions of students. To the extent

that students' expectations and perceptions of the industry become
more realistic after their internship experience, itserves a positive
changes in career satis

sure a function of the same experiences,
it
that educators need to better prepare students to work in
benefit. But to the extent that the observed

faction and dislikes
suggests
and the industryitselfneeds toenhance thequalityof

the industry
work lifeexperiencesavailable tohotel and tourism
management
graduates
in order to continue to attract and retain them. Otherwise,
or burningout
itruns theriskof scaring themout of the industry
those who remain. It should be noted that these findings are consis
tentwith theresultsofNorthAmerican studieswhich suggest that

working in thehotel and tourismindustrytakes a physical and
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC
18
mental
toll on management
STUDIES
personnel, which
in turn reduces
the
likelihood that theywill remain in the industry[Sarabakhsh,
Carson
and Lindgren;4
Pavesic
and Brymer].5
From a purely Caribbean perspective, the results of this study

suggest many deficiencies and inadequacies of theCaribbean hotel
and tourism industry. First, they suggest that employment and
students are
advancement opportunities for tourism management
perceived tobe sadly lacking.Secondly, theyindicatethathoteland

tourism organizations must provide opportunities for professional
growth, interesting work and good salaries if they wish to retain
tour
theirmanagement
employees. The history of the Caribbean
ism industry does not indicate that such opportunities exist in any
great measure. Finally, Caribbean governments need to re-exam
ine their immigration and employment policies to allow the freer

of Caribbean nationals within the region. Such policies
to go outside of
the need for Caribbean organizations
reduce
may
talent which may exist in an
the region to employ management
movement
unutilized
or underutilized
form elsewhere
making the industry truly Caribbean

study had no qualms about working
than their own.
in the region, thus

Students in this
in nature.
in Caribbean
countries other
CONCLUSION
literature on career orientation
of university students in the

is sparse, if not nonexistent. This study and its results
support the need formore research to better understand the career
stu
and employment expectations and aspirations of Caribbean
The
Caribbean
dents and the requirements of Caribbean
industry so as to ensure a
betterfitbetween theneeds of studentsand theneeds of industry.

In the case of theCaribbean
hotel and tourism industry in particu
lar,furtherresearchfollowingthestudentsin thisstudy into the
of work after graduation or surveying graduates already in

the industry can only serve to enhance educators' ability to better
prepare students for the industry and the industry to better receive
and retain university graduates.
world
Career Orientation
REFERENCES
(1990) "Creating a H?tel and Tourism
Management Programme ina Developing Region: The Case of the
University of theWest Indies". Hospitality and Tourism Educator,
O'Reilly, A.M. and Charles, K.R.
2(3),
18-19,47-49.
O'Reilly, A.M. (1983) "The Hotel Management Degree Programme

Graduate in theHotel Field in theCommonwealth Caribbean: An
Assessment after Five Years". Unpublished manuscript.
Knutson, BJ.
Wave
193-201.
(1989) "Expectations of Hospitality Juniors and Seniors:

.
Hospitality Education and Research Journal. 13(3),
Pavesic, D.V.
and Brymer, R.A. (1990) "Job Satisfaction: What's Hap

to
Cornell HRA Quarterly,
the Young Managers?"77ie
pening
90-95.
February,
Sarabakhsh,M., Carson, D., and Lindgren,E. (1989) "The Personal Cost

of Hospitality Management". The Cornell HRA Quarterly, May,
73-76.

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CAREER ORIENTATION AND INDUSTRY PERCEPTIONS OF CARIBBEAN HOTEL AND TOURISM

Social and Economic Studies 41:1 (1992)

CAREER ORIENTATION AND INDUSTRY

Programme at the University of theWest Indies. All

choices, working in the industry, perceived

experience.Thefindingsof thestudysuggestthathoteland tourism

needs tobe betterprepared toreceiveand retainhoteland

students inhotel management

and tourism management

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES

1987, respectively. The programme was established to edu

ship roles intheCaribbean hoteland tourismindustry an industry

what kind of student is attracted to a career in hotel and tourism

research has been done with graduates of the pro

of the programme, O'Reilly2 found that over half of

main problems encountered in securing a suitable job upon gradu

In contrast to the paucity of career research among Caribbean

which has contributedtotheteachingandpracticeofhoteland tour

in that country [e.g., Knutson].3 The research

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

and tourism industry. The research was, therefore, exploratory in

For purposes of this research, "career orientation" was de

their career choices; "industry perceptions" was defined in terms of

TourismManagement Programmeat theCHTM/UWI during the

enrolled in the programme were given a survey

data, to describe the characteristics of the student

indicatewhat influencedtheirchoice of career; theirjob prefer

industry after graduation.

as to students' sex, age group, nationality and working

Survey II was conductedduring thefinalweek of classes in

term of the same academic

year. Students were again

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES

to complete a questionnaire similar to the one in Survey I.

in terms of replacement of career influence questions with

views during the academic

Forty usable questionnaires were returned in Survey

typical student enrolled in the UWFs

Analysis of the data revealed that the major predictor vari

the results of the study.

choose a career in the hotel and tourism industry. Their statements

different categories of students. It indicates that, in general, stu

managementby a varietyof influences.

(HM) students were more

HOTEL/TOURISM WORK EXPERIENCE

OTHER WORK EXPERIENCE

More Than 3 Years

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES

to give the people-oriented

to nationality, Jamaican students gave more

from the smaller

As mightbe expected,HM andTM studentsdifferedintheirchoice

of HM students desiring a career in food service (full

that not toomany fast food chains and restaurants in the

In Survey I, HM students showed an equal

among HM students while human resources management dropped

tweenSurvey I and Survey II was theshiftfromaccountingand

finance to other areas like research and development. It is not clear

were asked to indicatewhich one of

important to them in selecting

30.8 11.5 15.4

58.3 16.7 16.7

26.9 11.5 3.8 11.5

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STUDIES