Authors :
Caryl Ann B. Piol
Volume/Issue :
Volume 8 - 2023, Issue 2 - February
Google Scholar :
https://bit.ly/3TmGbDi
Scribd :
https://bit.ly/3kQBWDm
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7699171
Abstract :
The Tourism and Hospitality Industry—one of
the world's fastest growing and most competitive sector—
considers interpersonal communication an important skill
(Lansangan-Cruz, 2018; Al-Ababneh, 2017; Loreto, 2020).
In the Philippines, however, two-thirds of employers find
it hard to locate and hire employees who are proficient in
this skill (Acosta, Igarashi, Olfindo, & Rutkowski, 2017).
Hence, the purpose of this research is to develop the
interpersonal skills of fourth-year hospitality management
students in the first district of Albay towards their
sustainable employability, through the help from the
viewpoints of industry professionals. The study used a
mixed method research design to determine the
perceptions of both students and employers, while
Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance was utilized in order
to appraise whether there is a significant relationship
between the two perspectives. The analyzed data revealed
that the students believed they ‘often’ exhibit
interpersonal skills in terms of communication skills
(3.30), decision-making skills (3.28), cross-cultural and
diversity competence (3.47), and emotional intelligence
(3.40). Meanwhile, the employers claimed that all the
interpersonal indicators used in this study are ‘always’
important for employability. Furthermore, all the abovementioned variables were tabulated t at 1% had a value of
2.58 which clearly indicates a significant relationship
between the two perspectives. Therefore, the degree of
interpersonal skills as perceived by the students is in line
with what businesses consider to be necessary for
employees to possess. However, since the students only
perceived their skills as ‘often’, further development is still
needed to facilitate their long-term career success and help
them adapt to the changing needs and expectations of the
industry.
Keywords :
Social Science, Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Sustainable Employability, Hospitality, Mixed Method
The Tourism and Hospitality Industry—one of
the world's fastest growing and most competitive sector—
considers interpersonal communication an important skill
(Lansangan-Cruz, 2018; Al-Ababneh, 2017; Loreto, 2020).
In the Philippines, however, two-thirds of employers find
it hard to locate and hire employees who are proficient in
this skill (Acosta, Igarashi, Olfindo, & Rutkowski, 2017).
Hence, the purpose of this research is to develop the
interpersonal skills of fourth-year hospitality management
students in the first district of Albay towards their
sustainable employability, through the help from the
viewpoints of industry professionals. The study used a
mixed method research design to determine the
perceptions of both students and employers, while
Kendall’s Coefficient of Concordance was utilized in order
to appraise whether there is a significant relationship
between the two perspectives. The analyzed data revealed
that the students believed they ‘often’ exhibit
interpersonal skills in terms of communication skills
(3.30), decision-making skills (3.28), cross-cultural and
diversity competence (3.47), and emotional intelligence
(3.40). Meanwhile, the employers claimed that all the
interpersonal indicators used in this study are ‘always’
important for employability. Furthermore, all the abovementioned variables were tabulated t at 1% had a value of
2.58 which clearly indicates a significant relationship
between the two perspectives. Therefore, the degree of
interpersonal skills as perceived by the students is in line
with what businesses consider to be necessary for
employees to possess. However, since the students only
perceived their skills as ‘often’, further development is still
needed to facilitate their long-term career success and help
them adapt to the changing needs and expectations of the
industry.
Keywords :
Social Science, Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Sustainable Employability, Hospitality, Mixed Method
