Meeting the English communication needs of hospitality students an analysis of Takoradi Technical University students

Abstract

English language plays an instrumental role in the Hospitality industry; however, many graduates who get employed end up not having the communication skills required for their work. This often results in mismatches between the skills demands of a job and the training provided. This study examined the English communication needs of Hospitality students of Takoradi Technical University through an evaluation of the Communication Skills course offered to First year students. To achieve the objectives, Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) Needs Analysis framework was adopted to collect data by means of questionnaire and interview from 253 sampled students, lecturers, and industry personnel, using a convergent parallel mixed method design and analyzed statistically and thematically. The analysis revealed that all four language skills are relevant to both students’ academic needs and target careers, and that the Communication Skills course is helpful to some extent. However, factors such as the nature of the curriculum, content of the syllabus, teaching methodologies and learning materials used were identified as limitations. In this light, the study proposes a new Communication Skills curriculum based on stakeholders’ needs. Based on the results, the study also recommends that an extension in the duration of the course and the incorporation of English for specific purposes (ESP) are steps necessary to achieve the proposed improvement. It also proposes that there is the need to factor in the needs of industry in the curriculum planning process in order to produce the human resource capable of meeting the English communication demands of the Hospitality industry.