Natalyya Vasylyshyna,
National aviation university,
Kyiv
Annotation: The paper under consideration deals with one of the urgent social issues related to professional training of experts in tourism realm. The topicality and actuality of the ongoing research is defined with the higher demands and requirements set for the tourism area staff.
Consequently, social changes must be considered as well as actively implemented in the scientific educational process. As a result, the article focuses on the idea that new methods, approaches have to be applied in tertiary education in order to shape high level specialists who will be competitive in the global market.
Key words: tourism sector, staff, professionals, skills, shaping, higher education.
Analyzing the trends and skill needs in tourism, it is always interesting to start with some facts on the current situation of European tourism. Tourism is generally and globally acknowledged as being one of the few economic sectors that has more than significant growth prospects [2].
We observed a broad agreement among employers and human resource managers about the lack of adequately qualified labour available for recruitment in the tourism sector. Personal and social skills are requested most frequently with additional capacity to learn and to work independently are gaining in importance. Knowledge of foreign languages and specific knowledge and skills linked to technological innovation and information technologies penetration of the sector are often listed as lacking [4].
The demand for flexibility is seen in growing pressure for multiskilling where a combination of different qualifications, or a combination of specific skills typical for various qualifications, is required from staff, leading to emergence of new – hybrid – occupations. This is especially typical for small and micro enterprises with limited personnel and consequent demands for mutual ad hoc substitution across occupations. Another type of multiskilling was observed at individual level due to high horizontal mobility in the sector (both geographical and cross-occupational) and due to high staff turnover [1,4].
Especially typical for temporary workers is engagement in different occasional jobs and professions, leading to different professional and occupational experiences not recognised formally.
Identity processes are shaped in the interaction of oneself with others. These processes happen through common experiences and practices, through formal and informal learning processes, competence acquisition and shared meanings. Identity is linked to representations and conditioned by the cultural dominant model. Representations are types of knowledge, socially constructed and shared, with an underlying practice which allows a common reality for a social group, a sector in our case [3].
Socialisation processes and skill acquisition are fundamental to occupational identities. Competence, thus, includes procedural, technical and conventional knowledge, but also semantic knowledge shared by the members of a restricted group which forms the profession or occupation. All skills are adapted, according to the specific working context and to the judgement by the community of practice relevant to the individual. That is why the working context is very important in order to identify the conditions which contribute to shaping identities. These are defined not only by objective conditions but also by how they are perceived and understood, read by individuals [2,4].
The research helped to identify five different conditional identity patterns among tourism workers:
- the devoted professional,
- the ‘high flyer’,
- the conciliated worker,
- the dissatisfied active seeker,
- the newcomer or unconsolidated worker.
The devoted professional is a competent and well-trained worker, satisfied with his work – a clear vocation – whose extreme dedication to work is compensated by the sense of professionalism which is the axis of his vocational identity.
The ‘high-flyer’ is focused on career, with expectations of vertical mobility, hence the availability to assume responsibilities and a high corporate identification.
The conciliated worker shows a compromise with the company and its demands for high availability by finding his/her place in a functional way with identity focused on customer orientation.
The dissatisfied active seeker is so because of the lack of recognition of his/her skills and training, as well as career expectations. Working conditions, workload and lack of perspective cause dissatisfaction and make him/her look for an alternative job.
The unconsolidated worker is often a young person with an unstable work situation, changing jobs frequently and without a clear prospect in the trade. All of these types have been constructed around seven different categories which surround occupational identity in tourism [4].
To sum up, tourism development depends on the skill level of staff. Personnel qualifications are determined by their education system. Further advancements in tourism sector rely on which curriculum and programs specialists are being trained today.
Thus, the system of universities that educate personnel for tourism, should predict the development of the tourism market to provide its employees with the skills of tomorrow. In other words, universities as organizations with strategic planning, should be deeply involved in today's tourism of the state [4].
However, there is no constant relationship between public administration, tourism and universities that give preparation in tourism. Every member of the tourism market develops autonomously and doesn’t cooperate with each other concerning the achievement of the common improvement of tourism management process in Ukraine.
References
1. Kremen V. Higher Education in Ukraine / V. Kremen, S. Nikolaienko. – Bucharest : UNESCO-CEPES, 2006. – 99 p.
2. Liubitseva O. Tourism market and tourism education in Ukraine / O. Liubitseva // Geography and tourism. - 2014. - Вип. 29. - С. 48-57. - Режим доступу: http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/gt_2014_29_6
3. Ministry of Tourism [Електронний ресурс]. – Режим доступу: http://www.tatnews.org/ministry-oftourism-and-sports/.
4. Strietska O. Trends and skill needs in tourism / O. Strietska. - Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2005. – 141p.
