THE IMPORTANCE OF SECTORAL COLLABORATION FOR VOCATIONAL SCHOOLS AND A STUDY ON TOURISM AND HOTEL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS

Abstract

Depending on the developing technologies, the increase on the field of vocational variety and necessity for coordination of vocations’ number and quality to change enhanced the significance of vocational education. Along with technology, constantly increasing knowledge made the concepts of “knowledge production” and “learning functional knowledge” become important for all sectors. Through the vocational education, being involved in the practical applications as well as having theorical knowledge let students acquire vocational experience and readiness before professional business life. However the short term trainings like for one to three months are not considered sufficient for most vocational schools. In our country, correspondingly to economical improvements the increasing number of vocational schools and programs have been improved by every year since 1990. Besides, increasing quantity of recent universities has enhanced the number of vocational schools. Vocational schools have a considerable value regarding to educating qualifed employee and fulfill the need for work force. However of late years, the problem at fulfilling of quota at associate degrees as well as at undergraduate programs, recent programs and realistic features on sectoral needs and vocational proficiency of these programs are on debate. In our study, the sectoral interaction of vocational schools for tourism and hotel programs in Turkey has been examined. Tourism is definitely an important sector for our country’ economy and devoloping rapidly. It is depended on labor force and gives a significent contribution to employment. This sector might develop only by increased quality of service and this situation increases the importance of qualifed work force. At this point, the significance of vocational schools that educates qualifed labor for sector has been emerged. Furthermore, even vocational schools are important for fulfilling the qualifed labor need of sector, interaction with the sector is a “must be” for a qualifed education. Vocational schools are giving education partly with the help of relevantly industrial education. In this respect, we can suggest that there may be a bilateral relation between sector and vocational schools. In this study, departments of tourism and hotel management of vocational schools at the state and foundation universities in our country are investigated. The purpose of this study is to estimate of these departments’ distribution to regions on our country and their suitability to regions’ needs. The data for this estimation obtained from OSYM quotas and Tourism Ministry statistics generated in the last five years. Our study consisted from a knowledge about distribution of vocational schools for tourism and hotel menagement, fulness of quotas, and level of hotel-bed capacity at region.