The Balance of Liberal and Vocational Values in Hospitality Higher Education: Voices of Graduates

Abstract

The challenges brought by tensions between liberal and vocational values are faced by all designers, deliverers, and students in higher education curricula. This study aims to explore the perceived balance of liberal and vocational values in hospitality higher education among graduates. This exploratory study uses surveys and interviews with Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) hospitality degree graduates to address the study aim. The findings indicate a primarily vocational orientation among the study respondents. Three themes emerged from the analysis: food and beverage orientation, the relevance of skills acquisition, and human nature/experience. The findings develop further knowledge of higher education curricula and alumni experiences. The understanding developed in the paper and the implications presented are important for designers and deliverers of hospitality higher education curricula in order to determine how curricula may be more optimally managed.

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