The Outputs of Tourism Education and Requirements in Labor Market: An Analytical Study in the Department of Tourism Studies at the Faculty of Tourism and Archaeology - Sousse

Abstract

This study examines the outcomes of tourism education and the requirements of the labor market from the perspectives of graduates and faculty members in the Department of Tourism Studies at the Faculty of Tourism and Archaeology in Sousse. The study aims to identify the current state of tourism education in the country in general and at the Faculty of Tourism and Archaeology in particular, as well as to highlight the role of existing educational programs in narrowing the gap between educational outcomes and labor market requirements. The significance of the study lies in the fact that developing academic outputs and supporting decision-makers in the academic and tourism sectors in improving training programs, in addition to the tourism importance of the city of Sousse. The study includes both a theoretical and a methodological framework and adopts the descriptive–analytical approach as well as the historical method. The findings revealed that a scarcity of training programs, limited available resources, an overall moderate level of educational outcomes, the employment of 67% of graduates outside their field of specialization, and a noticeable deficiency in skills, particularly language skills. The study concludes with some recommendations for the need for graduates to enhance their training and to be employed in fields related to their specialization, as well as recommendations for faculty members and researchers, mainly increasing the applied aspects of the educational process and developing graduates’ skills, among others.