A network analysis of cross-occupational skill transferability for the hospitality industry

Purpose This paper aims to examine transferable skills and viable career transition pathways for hospitality and tourism workers. Future career prospects are discussed, along with the importance of reskilling for low-wage hospitality workers. Design/methodology/approach A network analysis is conducted to model skill relationships between the hospitality industry and other industries such as health-care and information technology. Multiple data are used in the analysis, including data from the US Department of Labor Occupational Information Network (O*NET), wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and job computerization data (Frey and Osborne, 2017). Findings Although hospitality workers have lower than average skills scores when compared to workers from other career clusters included in the analysis, they possess essential soft skills that are valuable in other industries. Therefore, improving hospitality workers’ existing soft skills may help them enhance their cross-sector mobility, which may allow them to obtain jobs with a lower likelihood of computerization. Practical implications The findings shed light on workforce development theories and practice in the hospitality industry by quantitatively analyzing cross-sector skill correlations. Sharpening transferable soft skills will be essential to enhancing hospitality workers’ career development opportunities. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that specifically examines the skill taxonomy for the hospitality industry and identifies its connection with other in-demand career clusters.

Noncredit Education Enrollment and Outcomes: Exploring the "Black Box" of Noncredit Community College Education

Representing approximately two in five community college students, noncredit education is an important but understudied segment of the higher education population. In an effort to help open the "black box" of noncredit education in community colleges, the present study uses an established noncredit course typology (occupational training, sponsored occupational training, personal interest, and precollege remediation) to better understand the predictors of noncredit enrollment and outcomes in Iowa. Using a sample of more than 181,000 records, we employed a series of regression analyses to discuss variables associated with enrollment in the noncredit course types, the number of completions, and the number of contact hours. Nuanced findings and implications were associated with race/ethnicity, gender, institutional mission as captured through Carnegie Classifications, and career fields based on the 16 career clusters.

Upskill/Backfill Model of Career Pathways Advancement: The Nebraska Vocational Rehabilitation Approach

Current trends in vocational rehabilitation (VR) increasingly value career pathways and career advancement as important components for success. Simultaneously, employers and businesses have great needs for retaining and advancing incumbent workers in order to better meet their workforce demands. This article describes the Career Pathways Advancement Project (CPAP), the first state VR agency use of the upskill/backfill model for advancing former clients in specific career clusters in Nebraska VR by providing them access to additional training, certification, or specialized skills necessary to advance within that career sector. The model also provides access to entry-level jobs in the same businesses for current VR clients by “backfilling” the vacated positions left by the worker who is advancing. The upskill/backfill model appears to be an effective means for advancing former VR clients in their careers and providing substantial gains in income and employer-provided benefits. The model may require additional modifications in order to better serve new clients with backfill positions that were created by those who successfully advanced. Policy considerations for embedding this model in VR are addressed in light of evolving workplace dynamics and employer needs.