Asian insights: ensuring digital-ready TVET students in hospitality and tourism training programmes

TVET institutions can deploy a range of strategies to equip trainees with the general digital skills and competencies applicable to the industry. Using the constructivist alignment framework developed by the teaching specialist Biggs (2024), one approach is to align the intended learning outcomes; the teaching and learning activities that help deliver those outcomes; and the assessment methods used to verify that students have successfully achieved the learning outcomes. The approach requires TVET providers to take the following steps:

1. Define the intended learning outcomes taking into account industry occupational requirements (which might be elucidated in occupational standards);
2. Design teaching and learning activities to provide trainees with multiple opportunities to learn the knowledges and skills required, and to apply them in practice in curated classroom environments or in real-world situations; and
3. Create assessment methods which demonstrate trainees’ knowledge, skills and competencies.

These steps are discussed in turn below.

1. What learning outcomes in terms of digital competency are required by the hospitality and tourism sector?

TVET providers across the Asia-Pacific region must foster some foundational level of digital literacy for all learners regardless of trainee background and education level at the point of entry into the TVET system. 

• Foundational digital literacy could include the basic use of Microsoft Office tools, an ability to navigate the internet/web, capacity to manage emails and email communication, and an understanding of digital security, digital terminology and digital etiquette.

TVET providers should ensure the digital tools used within the sector are integrated into the learning environment.

• Common digital tools include property management systems (e.g. Opera – used by hotels); booking engines (e.g. Amadeus – used by airlines and travel companies); digital marketing tools (e.g. social media platforms, content creation and management); customer-relationship management tools (e.g. mobile apps for connectivity with guests, visitors and attendees). Such tools may be solely back-end whereas others may be linked to communication and interfacing with customers and colleagues.

TVET providers must find the balance between developing transversal and technical skills for students wishing to work in the sector.

• Transversal skills include: communication, story-telling, critical thinking, and customer service orientation.

Offering a balanced curriculum better positions TVET graduates for entry into the industry. The capacity to deliver general, specific and transversal digital skills and competencies utilizing industry relevant technology is a challenge for TVET institutions.  Given the varying levels of TVET infrastructure development across the nations within the Asia-Pacific region, some TVET students in rural or low-income areas are disadvantaged due to the lack of (or poor quality) infrastructure and resources such as lack of access to high-speed internet, updated software and up-to-date hardware. Inadequate partnerships with industry can limit access to hands-on training in digital skills.

Given the importance for all TVET trainees to have access to foundational, general digital skills and the requirement to integrate digital technology into transversal skills teaching and into sector specific learning, the Singapore Ministry of Education has created an EdTech Masterplan, described in the box below.

2. How are TVET providers (re-)designing their teaching and learning activities to meet digital competence requirements?

The hospitality and tourism industry is growing at a rapid rate in many countries in the Asia-Pacific region which increases the need for staff and skills. TVET institutions in Asia-Pacific are responsible to prepare hospitality and tourism students with those skills. To give an example, the major global hotel groups all have expansion plans which will add close to 200,000 hotel rooms to inventory in the Asia-Pacific region. Some key areas that TVET institutions in the region will need to address include:

• Ensuring curriculum is constantly updated together with the sector

Digital skills are dynamic and ever-evolving as new products, services, and platforms are created. To ensure students are properly equipped, curricula need to be kept up to date. This continuous updating process must be done together with sector employers to align the curricula, ensuring the skills taught match the skills required.

• Creating more opportunities for TVET provider and enterprise cooperation

Preparing TVET students for work requires providing them with opportunities for experiential learning, practical skills acquisition, and real-world practice before they embark on careers.  A lack of industry partnerships adversely impacts TVET institutions in their preparation of students for careers in hospitality and tourism including understanding how to apply increasingly digitized processes.

• Training for teachers

The level of teachers’ digital expertise will vary across Asia-Pacific nations. Digital skills need to be kept updated due to the fast pace of development with digital tools and how they are being utilized in the industry context.  Ensuring there are the resources to train staff (financial; time and appropriate training courses) and that staff maintain a willingness to train are crucial.

• Utilizing new models of TVET delivery

Digital technology itself creates opportunities to become more agile and responsive to changes in digital skills demands by utilizing digital learning opportunities. This can include synchronous and asynchronous online teaching and learning courses and utilizing artificial intelligence to provide individualized learning and assessment tools (including generating different learning scenarios). Digital learning can be part of a blended learning approach.

3. How are TVET providers assessing ever-changing digital skills and competency?

As curricula for hospitality and tourism programmes are updated, there is a need to align assessment methods and criteria to ensure students are acquiring digital skills and competencies within the programme timeframes. The growing move towards competency-based education in TVET (Zhong and Juwaheer) suggests a more practice-based approach to assessment regimes.  These would include the following:

• Competency-based assessment
• Computer-based assessment – especially with technology operating systems (property management systems; booking systems etc)
• Scenario-based assessment

As more TVET providers collaborate with industry partners, there is a growing reliance on 3^rd-party assessments through internships, on-the-job training, and work-based learning for students. There is also a growing reliance and expectation that assessment can utilize digital technology to create a more responsive and quicker process.

Conclusion: Driving TVET success in digital competencies education in hospitality and tourism

The application of digital and technological solutions, processes and platforms is pervasive in the day-to-day operations of companies and organizations in the sector. The possession of digital skills is quickly becoming a fundamental requirement for anyone who intends to work in hospitality and tourism. TVET institutions in Asia-Pacific are compelled to invest in training, infrastructure (including digital infrastructure), curricula re-design, and the development of strong industry collaboration to adequately prepare students for work in the sector. This includes developing trainees’ digital literacy skills and digital competences required by existing and new occupations. There remains a clear role for government in defining the component skills of being digitally literate for all citizens as a foundational competency.

As digital technology evolves in the sector, so too will the demand for digital skills and competencies. TVET institutions need to keep updating both curriculum and the modes used to assess students to ensure their preparedness for jobs in the industry upon graduation.