Developing vocational identity and belonging in the hospitality workforce of tomorrow – assessing the effectiveness of a curriculum-driven approach

Generational transformation is required in the way that the hospitality workforce is attracted, developed and retained if a sustainable future for the industry is to be realised. The hospitality industry has a history of struggling to retain staff, a problem that has been exacerbated and become more visible in the post-covid years. In addition, early career attrition reflects the challenges that hospitality graduates face. In response to these challenges, the design of a hospitality management course in a Victorian tertiary institution was motivated by a desire to develop a sense of vocational identity and belonging in the graduate cohort. Vocational identity, which refers to a sense of self derived from one's work or occupation (Chan, 2020), has been identified by researchers as benefitting both employers and employees in a number of ways. These include increased employee job satisfaction and motivation; higher productivity and enhanced job performance; and clarity in job role and responsibility. Research has also shown that vocational identity guides workers' practices and influences their performance, or competence (Klotz, et al. 2014). As a result, identifying strategies in tertiary education that effectively develop a sense of vocational identity are expected to positively contribute to both employee performance and long-term career commitment.