Great expectations: building research capacity in vocational tourism and hospitality institutes

Abstract

Significant changes are taking place in post-secondary tourism and hospitality education in Australia. Along with an expansion of degree offerings by universities, vocationally focused degrees are also emerging from Vocational Education and Training (VET) organisations also registered as Higher Education Providers (HEP). Among the many implications of this emergence is building research capacity in the HEPs. This exploratory study reviews experiences in other countries to identify considerations for building research capacity in the emergent VET environment in Australia where hospitality and tourism degrees are offered. Using William Angliss Institute as a case study, these considerations are drawn together to develop a model to drive the research capacity for VET HEPs delivering tourism and hospitality degrees in Australia. Applications and implications for the direction of research capacity development among other like institutions are discussed.