Perceptions Towards the Influence of Curriculum on the Quality of Training in Hospitality Management; A Case of University of Eldoret and Kenya Utalii College, Kenya

Abstract

Every graduate hope to secure a job after school, but this is not usually the case as recently, employers are now considering a lot of factors before hiring. Studies have shown that employers prefer hospitality graduates from Kenya Utalii College (KUC) as compared to other learning institutions. Kenya Utalii graduates represent about 20% of the hotel employees in Kenya. There are more than 200 institutions offering hospitality programmes in Kenya. This being the case Kenya Utalii still has a bigger percentage of graduates on the job market. The researcher carried out the research study to establish why there is a preference of graduates from Kenya Utalii College by employers. The all-round educational quality theory by David Kolb, (1984) and behavioral learning theory by John Watson, (1913) guided the study. This study was qualitative in nature and employed a narrative research design. The respondents consisted of 10 graduates and 8 lecturers from the University of Eldoret and Kenya Utalii College in Nairobi. The target population was hospitality graduates and hospitality lectures from UoE and KUC. The sample size comprised of 18 respondents and these were 5 graduates from each institution and 4 lecturers from each institution. The study utilized purposive and snowball sampling techniques to obtain the sample size. The study utilized interviews and focus group discussions for data collection. The interviews were conducted on the graduates while the lecturers were involved in focused group discussions. Data collected was coded and organized to search for patterns and themes which helped to interpret it. The results were aimed at assisting hospitality institutions in Kenya to offer quality training thereby producing quality graduates who are suitable for the job market. The finding indicated that curriculum is one of the key factors towards provision of quality training in hospitality management. A reviewed curriculum remains relevant as it comprises of current knowledge and skills that is in use in the industry today. Collaborations between learning institutions and the industry leads to better formulation of the curriculum. The industry shared ideas and knowledge of what is happening in the industry. This enabled institution to draft a curriculum that is industry based. The study concluded that through offering quality training graduates acquired skills and knowledge that is needed in the industry. This ensured that graduates secure employment in the industry easily.