Abstract:

Aiming to contribute towards the ongoing reflection on the importance of the so-called career skills and the role Higher Educations Institutions (HEI) can play in enhancing students’ employability, this paper describes activities carried out within the scope of English Applied to Tourism courses focusing on career skills and recruitment, putting forward practical examples involving final year students.

Based on activities involving job applications and overall recruitment processes in the field of hospitality and tourism, this experience report is in line with current trends and is mostly based on observation and notes from the field, thus assuming both a descriptive and empirical stance. Part of a comprehensive teaching and learning strategy, whose key outputs included a digital portfolio, presentations, role-plays and simulated activities, the findings are framed by a theoretical rationale, considering the context, as well as the target audience, pre-defined learning outcomes and current skill sets and profiles.

In addition to describing this rationale and the different implementation stages and outputs, the paper will reflect on the importance of career skills, offering fresh insights and a comprehensive outlook on the affordances of experiential learning, university-industry collaboration and language learning (and most particularly ESP - English for Specific Purposes) can play within the scope of tourism and hospitality education, ultimately paving the way for future work and inspiring other practitioners.

Keywords:

Career skills, Digital Portfolio, Employability, English for Specific Purposes, Tourism Education.