Abstract:

This paper provides an analysis of the potential contributions that MOOCs could make to the Tourism Industry when used as a tool through which specific transversal skills are honed, whether they are knowledge-based skills, attitudes, or even behaviors. Our research starts with an analysis of pre-existing MOOCs on offer in the EU, with particular emphasis on Spain. The purpose is to identify which MOOCs are available under each of the categories established by Open Education Europa and to describe existing trends. Following this, the trends and approaches used by the institutions creating MOOCs are studied with an understanding that they should somehow address the need to improve the training of transversal skills and sector specific skills. This need has been established by the European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network (ELGPN) as not only important to the future success of the labour market in Europe but fundamental to it. Our hypothesis is that MOOCs could act as a bridge between an individual’s skill set and the skill sets a company requires from its staff, thus serving as a useful tool for work-seekers, or likewise for employees looking to improve their chances for promotion through appropriate work-based learning. The paper details a list of generic transversal skills that are common to all professions that can be delivered via MOOCs before providing an overview of the current supply of MOOCs within the Tourism Industry. In Spain, the Tourism Industry creates more employment than any other sector of the economy and as such staff must be highly trained if they are to be successful in a competitive market. Having established the supply of tourism MOOCs, we detail the sector-specific generic transversal skills required by anyone working in tourism. Lastly, we offer suggestions regarding how MOOCs could be used to improve employment opportunities in the Tourism Industry in Spain, with emphasis placed on one of the most popular tourist destinations of the country, the Canary Islands. We introduce an experience where we are developed and implemented a MOOC to train some transversal skills.

Keywords:

Transversal skills, MOOC, Open Education, Tourism.