DOI: 10.14749/1551863138
title: THRD Skills Audit Review: Background Paper - Department of Basic Education (DBE) Tourism, Travel and Hospitality Educators in secondary schools in South Africa Survey Report

description: Description: 
 The data set contains 129 variables and 84 Basic Education Educators of Tourism and related subjects and qualifications who completed the web-based online survey.
Abstract: 
 The HSRC was commissioned by the National Department of Tourism in partnership with CATHSSETA to undertake a Tourism Human Resource Development Skills Audit and to develop a Tourism Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa.

 A mix methods approach was adopted to facilitate the data gathering process including primary and secondary qualitative and quantitative data analysis. One of the primary data gathering activities was the survey of Department of Basic Education (DBE), Educators who taught tourism and related courses in secondary schools.

 The study sought to focus on the following focus areas:

 
 Demographic profile of DBE educators currently providing tourism, travel and hospitality courses at secondary school
 
 Regional spread of tourism educators
 
 DBE Tourism Educator qualifications and experience
 
 DBE Tourism Educator perceptions of learner career choices and subject selection
 
 DBE Tourism Educator subject training choices
 
 DBE Tourism Educator perceptions of the learning and teaching environment
 
 DBE Tourism Educator views on tourism curriculum
 
 Methods for delivery of tourism education courses including practical assessments and excursions
 
 To assess the training and experience of DBE Tourism educators in respect of tourism training
 
 To assess the nature of institutional support for DBE Educators in the provision of tourism courses. To understand the challenges experienced by DBE Educators with respect to the provision of tourism courses at Secondary School Level.


 The survey was aimed at understanding the primary question:

 What is the contribution of Tourism, Hospitality and Travel course provisioning at school level by DBE Educators (DBE) to advancing human resource development in the tourism industry which is responsive to learner and industry needsâ.

 Secondary questions:

 
 What incentivizes DBE Educators to offer tourism and related courses at secondary school level?
 
 What factors contribute to the selection of tourism and related courses by secondary school learners?
 
 What qualifications and experience do DBE Educators have in respect of tourism and related courses?
 
 What is the nature and content of DBE Tourism courses offered in secondary schools?
 
 What was the relevance of the curriculum to industry needs?
 
 What is the nature of DBE support to learners in selecting tourism and related courses at secondary school level?
 
 What are some of the key challenges the DBE educators experience with respect to the delivery of tourism and related courses?


 Major variables included

 
 Educator qualifications
 
 Educator relevant experience
 
 Learner selection of tourism courses
 
 Curriculum relevance
 
 Learning and teaching environment in respect of tourism and related courses.
description: Web-based self-completion
description: All Tourism, travel and hospitality educators in secondary schools on a data base provided by the National Department of Tourism in public schools.
description: There was no database of graduates and learners who have enrolled in HEIs to take Tourism, hospitality and related qualifications in South Africa, in either public or private registered institutions.

 In order to source participants for the study the research team undertook the following:

 
 Liaised with the NDT to access contact details for learners and graduates who had attended the NTCE events;
 
 Requested database of learners from CATHSSETA;
 
 Communicated with training institutions to request them to share the information about the survey with their current or past learners. The data base of HEI had been compiled for another survey. The list comprised of 79 institutions.


 - 8 Universities of Technology
 - 31 TVETS
 - 12 Universities
 - 28 Private Colleges

 
 Advertised the survey on the HSRC website;
 
 Advertised the survey on a private sector Tourism site called Tourism Update for 3 months, funded by the NDT;
 
 Communicated with Tourism enterprises who employed graduates or learners via the skills audit survey to share information about the survey;
 
 Shared the information about the survey to provincial tourism departments in all nine provinces and requested them to disseminate the information;
 
 Encouraged those who came across the survey to share with others;


 The survey was directly distributed to 3726 individuals. It is not possible to assess the wider impact from disseminating via other stakeholders.

 494 responses were received, 75 declined to participate, of the remaining 419 only 107 completed the survey fully.