An industry partnerships approach to tourism education

Tourism-related fields such as hospitality, leisure, sport and events, are applied subject areas, demanding that academics, students and curricula develop, and benefit from, close links with industry. However, strategies for industry engagement in many education institutions are often haphazard and lack focus, commitment and resources. This traditional and often indiscriminate approach to industry linkages is no longer adequate for the contemporary educational institution where there is an imperative for community engagement and curriculum relevance. This realisation prompted the University of Queensland's School of Tourism (UQST) to pioneer a new strategic approach to industry engagement initiatives based upon a partnership approach. This paper provides an outline of this new programme.