Assessment on Employability Skills of Hospitality Industry Graduating Students on Negros Island Region and Iloilo Province, Philippines

Abstract

The rapid growth of the hospitality and tourism industry has highlighted critical human resource challenges, particularly the employability of graduates from higher education institutions. Despite the availability of hospitality degree programs, many graduates lack the skills and competencies required by the industry, creating a gap between academic preparation and workforce expectations. This study examines the employability skills of hospitality management graduating students in Negros Island Region (NIR) and Iloilo provinces, Philippines, focusing on five key areas: skills training and development (M=2.79) “moderately practiced”, human skills career development was “rarely practiced” (M=2.26), job skills competencies (M=2.72) “moderately practiced”, information technology skills (M=3.01), and entrepreneurial managerial skills (M=2.81) were “moderately practiced”. Using a descriptive-correlational research design, data were collected from 187 randomly selected graduating students through a 50-item Likert-scale questionnaire. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were employed for analysis. Moderate discrepancies between academic curricula and industry demands were identified, highlighting the need for curriculum enhancement to better prepare graduates for real-world challenges better. Recommendations include integrating practical experiences, fostering soft skills development, strengthening IT education, promoting entrepreneurship, and establishing partnerships with industry stakeholders. This research contributes to understanding how academic institutions can align their programs with industry requirements to ensure graduates' competitiveness in the global hospitality sector.