Educating Australian leisure graduates: Contexts for developing generic skills

Abstract

Leisure studies graduates seek employment in a highly competitive marketplace. In addition to their degree qualification, graduates need a core of generic skills and attributes that are sought by employers in particular industry sectors. As part of a larger study, graduates from Griffith University's leisure management degree were surveyed to explore their perceptions of how their generic skills had been developed in three different learning contexts: at university, through work placements, and in immediate post-graduation employment. It is concluded that all three contexts play an important and often complementary role in providing leisure management graduates with a package of skills that enable them to contribute effectively to the workplace and develop their careers. The study findings suggest that particular skills may be best developed in particular contexts and give strong support for work placements in preparing graduates for employment.