Engendering twenty-first century workplace literacy for the hospitality industry: exploring the role of the academic library
Abstract
With global competition, sustainable development, and economic growth in mind, organisations are under constant pressure to adjust. In the knowledge society where 21st century attributes are key, the ability to use information towards continuous learning and evolution in the workplace is imperative. Among other qualities, sound workplace literacy is a necessary attribute that students as prospective employees must attain.Student learning must be augmented with relevant experiences to develop a range of literacies related to creativity, innovation, communication, collaboration and the effective use of information in a world where technology evolves rapidly. Higher education needs a better understanding of industry requirements related to the literacies and attributes expected from graduates entering the market. Exploring industry related needs, aligning support and library services accordingly and improving inter-departmental collaboration within higher education will better prepare students for the demands in the challenging and fast-changing world of work.The paper reports on a literature review and the findings of a survey on required workplace literacies in a sector of the hospitality and tourism industry. It offers suggestions towards more effective collaboration between academics and librarians in supporting the development of workplace literacy. To this aim a purposive selected target population in a leading South African hotel group was approached. Evidence abound that there is a gap between the level of workplace literacy support offered to students and the actual literacy needs reported by the target group. Based on the findings and extrapolating from recent research, a meta-literacy framework is offered in support of developing 21st century workplace literaciesDownloads
References
AbuMezied, A. (2016). What role will education play in the Fourth Industrial Revolution? Available at https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-role-will-education-play-in-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/
Ackehurst, M and Loveder, P., (2015) Building the capabilities of the travel, tourism and hospitality workforce, Paper presented to AFTA Industry Leaders and Educators Engagement Symposium, Sydney, February, 2015.
ACRL (2015) ACRL Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education. http://www.ala.org/acrl/sites/ala.org.acrl/files/content/issues/infolit/Framework_ILHE.pdf
Almeida, N. and Pollack, J. (2017) In bed with the library: A critical exploration of embedded librarianship at the City University of New York. Communications in Information Literacy, 11(1), 122-146
Alpert, F.; Heaney, G. and Kuhn. K. (2009), Internships in Marketing: Goals, Structures, and Assessment--Student, Company, and Academic Perspectives” Australasian Marketing Journal, (17), 36–45
Băltescu, C. A., (2016) Graduates’ Willingness To Build A Career In Tourism. A View Point of The Students In The Tourism Profile Academic Programmes From The Transilvania University Of Brasov, Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, (3) : 36-39, June.
Benseman, J. (2012) Literacy and Workplace Change: Evaluation Findings from Eighteen Workplace Literacy Program. Journal of Research & Practice for Adult Literacy, Secondary & Basic Education, 1(2),91–106. Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=87524571&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019)
Bezuidenhout, R,and Cronje, F. (2014) Research Matters. Juta: Cape Town.
Bowker, L and Villamizar, C. (2017) Embedding a records manager as a strategy for
helping to positively influence an organization’s records management culture, Records
Management Journal, 27(1):57-68, org.ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/10.1108/RMJ-02-
-0005
Bowen, T. and Drysdale, M. (2017) Work-Integrated Learning in the 21st Century: Global Perspectives on the Future. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited (International Perspectives on Education and Society). Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e020mww&AN=1561329&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019).
Brown, K and Malenfant, K.J., (2017) Association of College and Research Libraries: Academic Library Impact on Student Learning and Success: Findings from Assessment in Action Team Projects. Chicago: Association of College and Research Libraries, 2017.
Butler-Adam, J. (2018) The fourth Industrial Revolution and Education. South African Journal of Science. 2018;114(5/6) Art. #a0271, 1 page. http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/ sajs.2018/a0271
Chen, G., and Klimoski, R. J. (2007). Training and development of human resources at work: Is the state of our science strong? Human Resource Management Review, 17(2), 180-190. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2007.03.004
Coates, H. and Goedegebuure, L. (2012) Recasting the academic workforce: why the attractiveness of the academic profession needs to be increased and eight possible strategies for how to go about this from an Australian perspective, Higher Education (00181560), 64(6), pp. 875–889. doi: 10.1007/s10734-012-9534-3.
Creswell, J.H (2009) Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches, Los Angeles: Sage.
Farrell, L (2017) Workplace literacy in the fourth industrial revolution: The literacy 4.0 project, Melbourne: The University of Melbourne
Fisk, P., (2017) Education 4.0 … the future of learning will be dramatically different, in school and throughout life. Available at https://www.thegeniusworks.com/2017/01/future-education-young-everyone-taught-together/
Folinsbee, S. (2009) Workplace Literacy: Ethical Issues Through the Lens of Experience, New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, (123), pp. 33–42. doi: 10.1002/ace.341.
Frick, L. and Kapp, C. (2009) The Professional Developments of Academics: In Pursuit of Scholarship, in E. Bitzer (ed.). Higher Education in South Africa: A Scholarly Look behind the Scenes. Stellenbosch: SUN MeDIA. 369-408. doi:10.18820/9781920338183/12.
Fulkerson, D. M., Ariew, S. A., and Jacobson, T. E. (2017). Revisiting Metacognition and Metaliteracy in the ACRL Framework. Communications in Information Literacy, 11 (1), 21-41. https://doi.org/10.15760/comminfolit.2017.11.1.45
Gilbert, S. 2017. Information literacy skills in the workplace: Examining early career advertising professionals, Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship. Available: DOI: 10.1080/08963568.2016.1258938 [26 March 2018]
Gillett-Swan, J. and Grant-Smith, D. (2018) A framework for managing the impacts of work-integrated learning on student quality of life, Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 19(2), 129–140. Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=130574044&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019).
Head, A. J., Van Hoeck, M., Eschler, J., and Fullerton, S. 2013. What information competencies matter in today’s workplace? Library and Information Research, 37(114), 74 –104
Hoyer. J (2011) Information is social: information literacy in context, Reference Services Review, 39(1): 10-23, DOI: https://doi-org.ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/10.1108/00907321111108088
Howlett, G. and Waemusa, Z. (2019) 21st Century Learning Skills and Autonomy Teaching English with Technology, 19(1):72–85. Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=134817802&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019)
Jacobson, T.E. and McKay. T. P. (2016) Metaliteracy in Practice. Chicago: Neal-Schumann
Kirton, J. and Barham, L. (2005) ‘Information literacy in the workplace’, Australian Library Journal, 54(4), pp. 365–376. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=502964313&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 3 July 2019).
Klusek, L. and Bornstein, J. (2006) Information Literacy Skills for Business Careers: Matching Skills to the Workplace, Journal of Business & Finance Librarianship, 11(4), pp. 3–21. doi: 10.1300/J109v11n04_02.
Lawless, K. A. ed. and Brown, S. W. (2015) Developing scientific literacy skills through interdisciplinary, technology-based global simulations, Curriculum Journal, 26(2): 268–289. doi: 10.1080/09585176.2015.1009133.
Limberg, L. & Sundin, O. (2006). Teaching information seeking: relating information literacy education to theories of information behaviour. Information Research, 12(1) paper 280.Limberg, ECIL, Oct 2
Lloyd, A. (2011). Trapped between a Rock and a Hard Place: What Counts as Information Literacy in the Workplace and How Is It Conceptualized? Library Trends 60(2), 277-296. Johns Hopkins University Press. Retrieved July 3, 2019, from Project MUSE database.
Mackey, T. P. and Jacobson, T. E. (2011) Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy, College & Research Libraries, 72(1), 62–78. Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1064829&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019).
Shumaker, D. (2012) The Embedded Librarian: Innovative Strategies for Taking Knowledge Where It's Needed, New Jersey: Information Today.
Menchaca, F. (2012) The Future Is in Doubt: Librarians, Publishers, and Networked Learning in the 21st Centure, Journal of Library Administration, 52(5), 396–410. doi: 10.1080/01930826.2012.700804.
Molopyane, J and Fourie, I., (2015) "A framework for workplace information literacy in academic contexts: Central University of Technology, Free State (South Africa) as case study", Library Hi Tech, Vol. 33(4), 562-583, https://doi-org.ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/10.1108/LHT-02-2015-0013
Neerputh, S. 2014. Academic integration of libraries at Universities of Technology (UoTs) in South Africa http://ir.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/1154
O’Brien, K. L. ed. et al. (2017) ‘Metaliteracy as Pedagogical Framework for Learner-Centered Design in Three MOOC Platforms: Connectivist, Coursera and Canvas’, Open Praxis, 9(3): 267–286. doi: 10.5944/openpraxis.9.3.553.
Ottonicar, S. L. C., Valentim, M. L. P. and Mosconi, E. (2018) A competitive intelligence model based on information literacy: organizational competitiveness in the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution, Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business
Perez, K.V.P. and Trello, O.M.,(2012) The digital competence as a cross-cutting axisof higher education teachers’ pedagogical competences, in the European higher education area, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46 ( 2012 ): 1112 – 1116.
Saayman, M., and Geldenhuys, S. (2003). An analysis of skills required for selected sectors of the tourism industry. SA Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation, 25(1), 83–95.
Shamim, S. et al. (2017) ‘Examining the Feasibilities of Industry 4.0 for the Hospitality Sector with the Lens of Management Practice’, Energies (19961073), 10(4): 499. doi: 10.3390/en10040499
Shivoro, R. S., Shalyefu, R. K. and Kadhila, N. (2018) Perspectives on Graduate Employability Attributes for Management Sciences Graduates, South African Journal of Higher Education, 32(1): 216–232. doi: 10.20853/32-1-1578.
Smith, F. A. ed. (2018) Evaluating the Options for Virtual Reality in Literacy Instruction, Computers in Libraries, 38(1):22–25. Available at: https://ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=127369439&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 23 February 2019).
Travis, T. (2011) From the Classroom to the Boardroom: The Impact of Information Literacy Instruction on Workplace Research Skills, Education Libraries, 34(2), pp. 19–31. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.iielearn.ac.za/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=71912879&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 3 July 2019).
Unesco (2015) Higher education and the Sustainable Development Goals. https://en.unesco.org/themes/higher-education/sdgs
Yiu. M and Law, R., (2012) A Review of Hospitality Internship: Different Perspectives of Students, Employers, and Educators, Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 12:4, 377-402, DOI: 10.1080/15313220.2012.729459
Zwane, F.N., Du Plessis, L., and Slabbert, E. (2014). Analysing the skills expectations of employers in the South African tourism industry. SA Journal of Human Resource Management/SA Tydskrif vir Menslikehulpbronbestuur, 12(1) Art. #550, 9 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v12i1.550
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors (copyright owners) should be properly acknowledged when works are cited. Authors retain publishing rights without any restrictions.
South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science is an Open Access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of Open Access.
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License
