Abstract:
This study examined problems and obstacles encountered in the workplace and advisors in tourism and hospitality business cooperative education projects with the aim to propose guidelines for improving the quality of future cooperative education projects. The data was collected through questionnaires, which asked workplace supervisors and institute advisors, as well as in-depth interviews with five cooperative education experts. There were 218 completed questionnaires.
The results of the study revealed that workplace supervisors and institute advisors were highly satisfied with the quality of cooperative education projects. However, when considering each business separately, it was found that those in hospitality businesses were more satisfied than those involved with tourism businesses, especially in terms of beneficial are practical knowledge in the workplace. In addition, most of the problems and obstacles that affect the quality of cooperative education projects arise from workplaces not allowing testing with customers. Secondly, the duration of the projects is short and they lack knowledge of doing research. They also lack a sense of responsibility and maturity in their work. The study results offer ways to improve the quality of cooperative education projects by proposing more effective communication between workplace supervisors and institute advisors to promote understanding of the objectives and importance of project achievement. In addition, there should be training both soft and hard skills, including a systematic problem-solving process.