Abstract:

The Danish tourism sector’s need for development through further and higher education of employees is widely recognized, but Danish HEIs are challenged to develop a more demand-led approach. This paper reports on an investigation of the business needs for WBL in the Danish tourism sector and the match with the supply of higher education, emphasising opportunities and barriers for (WBHL) in the Danish University System.
The research done consist of completed empirical studies and literature review on Danish tourism and Danish higher education programmes for tourism. This is the basis for reflexive analysis of how demand and supply for higher education can be aligned for the sector. The research focussed on the role of WBL as a way to meet the needs for flexible competence building. Special emphasis is put on innovation and environmental management programmes and competence building targeted at Danish tourism.
The research and analysis is based on literature review, in-depth semi structured interviews and e-survey among 12 employers in the Danish tourism sector and in-depth semi-structured interviews with university staff and management of one Danish university. The research has taken place in a comparative European context of the WBLQUAL project.
The paper will discuss the challenges of WBL for the Danish university system in this regard to meeting the needs of the Danish Tourism and Leisure sector. From the research it will draw conclusions if flexible WBL programmes are found to be suitable for the tourism industry and how WBL solutions might be developed within the HEIs in Denmark.

References:
An Approach to Qualifications through Negotiated Work Based Learning for the EU
Project Number: 510022-LLP-1-2010-1-UK-ERASMUS-ECUE
The European Higher Education Area in 2012 (EACEA P9 Eurydice25 April 2012).
Modernisation of Higher Education in Europe: (EU - 16 September 2011)
Boud, D. & Solomon, N. (Eds.): Work-based Learning. A New Higher Education? The Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press, 2001.

Keywords:

Work based learning, Higher Education, tourism, innovation, environmental management.