Perceptions towards the Influence of Instructional Resources on the Quality of Training in Hospitality Management; A Comparative study of University of Eldoret and Kenya Utalii College, Kenya
Main Article Content
Keywords
Institutions, instructional resources, hospitality, graduates, training
Abstract
Every graduate is always hopeful of being employed after school. However, this has not been the case in the recent years. Employers are now keen on various factors before hiring employees. Studies have shown that there is a preference for hospitality graduates from Kenya Utalii College (KUC). There are more than 200 higher learning institutions offering hospitality programs in Kenya, out of which the KUC has more graduates working in the industry. Kenya Utalii graduates represent about 20% of the hotel employees in Kenya. This study aimed at establishing what makes employers to have a preference for graduates from Kenya Utalii College. The all-round educational quality and behavioral learning theories guided the study. This study is qualitative in nature and employed a narrative research design approach. The target population comprised of all hospitality lecturers and graduates from the University of Eldoret (UoE) and Kenya Utalii College in Nairobi. The target population comprised of 678 participants who were hospitality graduates and hospitality lectures from UoE and KUC. The study sample finally comprised of 18 participants; 5 graduates from each institution and 4 lecturers from each of the two institutions. The study utilized purposive and snowball sampling techniques to obtain the sample. The study utilized interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) for data collection. The graduates were engaged in interviews while the lecturers were involved in focused group discussions at their respective institutions. Data collected was coded and analyzed to generate themes. The study revealed that instructional resources influenced the quality of education in hospitality management. The influence of this factor has resulted to employers having preferences of graduates from KUC. Hence, learning institutions should ensure that they have well functional practical facilities equipped with modern equipment to help the student acquire the practical knowledge that is required in the job market. These results will guide hospitality institutions in Kenya towards offering quality training thereby producing quality graduates who fit in the job market.
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