THE IMPACT OF CURRICULUM CONTENT ON THE QUALITY OF FOOD AND BEVERAGE TRAINING IN SELECTED TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING INSTITUTIONS IN THE WESTERN REGION, KENYA

Abstract

The quality of training in the food and beverage sector significantly affects the quality of service delivery to customers in the hospitality industry. This study sought to investigate the factors that affect the quality of food and beverage training at selected technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in the western region of Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to collect data from the participants. The participants were trainees and trainers of food and beverage courses at artisan, certificate and diploma levels. from the selected TVET institutions. Stratified random sampling and simple random sampling were used to select respondents from each of the selected four TVET institutions. A total of 180 respondents, comprising 28 trainers and 152 trainees were sampled. The results showed that most trainers and trainees agreed that the TVET curriculum was relevant, current, had sufficient practical component, was deliverable within the stipulated time, and met industry needs and expectations. With mean scores of above 3.5 on Likert five-point scale. There was generally a high level of agreement among respondents on specific aspects of the curriculum. The study recommends that there is a need for TVET institutions to restructure their programmes to be more receptive to the dynamic needs of the industry so as to facilitate absorption and integration of graduates in the job market.