Campus Encounters - PASSION, FLOW & TRANSFORMATION
21-22 March, 2013, Porvoo, Finland
Title of paper (no more than seven words):
Higher Education as an Option for Working Life, Field of Tourism and Hospitality
Author/-s: Annikki Mikkonen, Maisa Kuha
ID number of abstract:011
Theme: 2. Learning methods in transformation
Mode of presentation: Paper session and workshop
ABSTRACT/FULL PAPER
Introduction
This article contains two perspectives to the theme of higher education as an option for working
life. The first one refers the research: Impact of Tourism and Hospitality Management Education in
Universities of Applied Sciences on Working Life (Mikkonen 2012). In the second part we will
refer the local innovation process, as a case of product development in small and medium
enterprises.
Literature review and conceptual approach
The key concept in the founding of the UAS was to create education that is comparable to the
traditional Universities, but at the same time takes into account the needs and trends of the
surrounding society and working life. This education was to meet, among other goals, to changes in
the working life (e.g. by promoting cross-disciplinaries), strengthen regional development and
infrastructure, and enhance the developmental prospects of small and medium enterprises,
especially in the private sector. (Salminen 2001, 53–54). During the past two decades this ability to
change has been of great demand, since the increase of the service sector has altered our economic
structure (Arantola 2010; Vähä et al. 2009; compare Ahokas & Honkatukia 2012,36-37). This
change and thus the requirement of skills has been difficult to predict and, therefore, the skills are
not always visible and successfully implemented. Analyses of demand for education based on views
from the industry, predictive research and regional working life analyses have been considered to be
insufficient for the field of Tourism and Hospitality Management (e.g. Heikkinen 2004, 271;
compare Arantola 2010, 10).
Campus Encounters - PASSION, FLOW & TRANSFORMATION
21-22 March, 2013, Porvoo, Finland
Field of Tourism and Hospitality Management requires professionalism that stems from practical
and experience-based knowledge, but it is supported by conceptual and transferable knowledge.
Extensive expert skills are transferable to novel contexts and networks, which translates the
professional identity into flexibility, transformability and ability to learn (Eteläpelto 2007).
Therefore, an expert in the field of Tourism and Hospitality Management must have the ability and
the means to transfer his or her skills and knowledge to new circumstances, organizations and even
new fields.
Learning has a center role in the new model of innovation and product development (Järvensivu &
Koski 2008). Strict professional work routines and their specific skills have changed into different
kinds of skills, multi-talents and entrepreneurship specific skills. The process of implementing lifelong, continuous learning as part of the work routines has also begun: flexibility and its demands,
the logic of continuous improvement and self-development of the working process are good
examples of the change. Previously the employer controlled merely the hands, now he/she controls
also the thoughts, the values and the learning. In essence, the employer increases his/her influence
over the life of the employee. Increasing uncertainty does not necessarily encourage employees to
commit themselves to the company and the work. Talented learners in the company work force
indicate the ability to change, i.e. it can be used to evaluate the learning potential of the company.
(Mts.) In addition to being personal capital (e.g. Brown & Heskett 2004), employees' expertise is
also company's capital It is a means of production that has to be continuously maintained, updated,
and increased. Strengthening of identity, sufficient time for renewal and diverse sources of
information create prerequisites for performance (Kirjonen et al. 2000, compare Pillay et al. 2006).
Recent political discussion has emphasized the intensification of university studies and faster
transition of the graduates to working life (e.g. Koulutus ja tutkimus vuosina 2011 – 2016. 2011).
Even greater problem than the speed of the studies is to provide such education that guides the
students into expertise, which provides them paths in the working life with advancement and
possibilities to develop themselves as well as their field of work and to develop new innovations to
the field (e.g. Billet et al. 2006). University degree provides better employment and advancing
opportunities in big enterprises. Small enterprises may have difficulties in recruiting educated
workforce. For persons employed in small and medium enterprises career advancement usually
means a change of working place and moving into another enterprise (e.g. Marchante et al. 2007;
compare Ohtonen et al. 2011.). On the other hand, these small enterprises allow students to bring
new ideas into the enterprise and try to develop the field together with the UAS and entrepreneurs.
It should be noted that the new ideas and innovations also meet resistance, which it its own part
makes it difficult to identify and evaluate the effectiveness of the UAS. In this study the
effectiveness of the education was seen to form a multi-level and reciprocal chain of events
depicted in figure 1.
Campus Encounters - PASSION, FLOW & TRANSFORMATION
21-22 March, 2013, Porvoo, Finland
Clients
Organisations and
enterptrisesaatiot
Gradauted students,
restonomes
Education in
universities of
applied sciences
Figure 1. The continuum of the chain of effects in education (Mikkonen 2012, 143)
The incoherence and diversity of the working life in the field of Tourism and Hospitality
Management require that the UAS extend their evaluation into customers in the working filed and
their changing needs. This prevents the evaluation from retaining in to the view that graduating
restonomes ”fill the gaps” in the working life, but also takes an active role in producing education
that creates new skills, changes working environments and renews the occupational structures in the
field.
Methodology of the research
The impact was interpreted through the visions and views of developers of the education in UAS,
graduated restonomes and representatives of the working life. The research was a case study, where
the case was tourism and hospitality management sector and data were from Jyväskylä UAS
(JAMK/JUAS). Theme interviews (n = 14) from developers of UAS education and representatives
of the working life and a questionnaire (n = 490) directed to restonomes graduated from
JAMK/UAS between 2000 and 2007 comprised the data. Thematic analysis was applied to the
interview data, whereas the questionnaire data was first cross-tabled and then X2-test was used to
look for significant differences.
Results of the research
Tourism and hospitality management UAS examination met the professional expectations of most
of the restonomes, slightly varying depending on the area of expertise. The restonomes were well
employed one year after graduation and most of the employments (85%) were full-time positions.
There were some features that companies did not know the content of restonome education and the
concept restonome. In any case most of the restonomes were positioned in the expert or in the
management position. Majority of the restonomes considered that their work corresponded to their
education. This correspondence was weakest in the under 25-year-old group.
Campus Encounters - PASSION, FLOW & TRANSFORMATION
21-22 March, 2013, Porvoo, Finland
In general, restonomes were able to apply their UAS studies directly to their work. Internship was
identified as the most important part of the studies in relation to contacts to the working life and
future employment. Majority of the restonomes (81%) considered that their theoretical skills were
adequate and most also felt that their basic skills and knowledge required for expert positions.
Language skills were evaluated clearly better than abilities to work abroad. Entrepreneurship skills
were considered less adequate than the other skills.
The representatives of the working life held the tourism and hospitality management UAS
examination as good education. Both the developers of education and the representatives of the
working life considered that restonomes graduated from UAS were well employed and had found
novel employment possibilities. Personal capital, including personal traits and motivation towards
work were seen decisive for employment and career development. Based on the results, the
developing work of disciplines and curricula was linked to the anticipation of the development
needs. The practical, close to working life, operation models of the restonome education functioned
as skill developers in students and partially also in working life. The practicality transferred tutoring
responsibility to working life organizations, albeit there was large variation in the student tutoring
and guidance between organizations. The collaboration between UAS and representatives of the
working life needs to be strengthened in order to support the change in the professional identities
and structures in the field, and to ensure the development of the field as a worthy industry.
Conclusions, discussion and implication for practice
UAS have developed for 20 years according to the preset goals. As regional developmental
organizations UAS have provided substantial support for the provincial economies. According to
the PhD thesis of Annikki Mikkonen, however, the representatives of the field of Tourism and
Hospitality Management enterprises did not without reservation consider the work conducted in the
UAS significant for the development of their field of work. The representatives of the working life
found many foci for development in the restonome training at the Jyväskylä UAS. In their view, a
significant and challenging form of development was, for example, project work conducted directly
to the company. The interviewed representatives saw that, when successful, such collaborative work
in company projects was one of the most efficient way to develop skills for the students.
In a case study inspired by Mikkonen's PhD thesis we explored a developmental approach to
product development. As a deviation from the narrow view of traditional product development this
case depicts product development as an innovation process, which as its learning outcome broadens,
deepens and diversifies the concepts related to learning in product development. The innovation
process was modified from Kuha and Hautala (2006). Service design tools are used in the
innovation process. Management of a product development process course is a third year course for
restonome students. At this level of the studies the students are able to exploit their already
developed professional expertise and business, process, service systems and networking skills.
Some of the most important phases in product development projects are collection of company
cases, identification of personal learning needs, building of collaboration, development of
understanding on the needs of the company, development of customer skills and evaluation. After
Campus Encounters - PASSION, FLOW & TRANSFORMATION
21-22 March, 2013, Porvoo, Finland
Management of a Product Development Process course year 2012 there are still problems in this
learning process. Further critical factors of the model are:
1. Optimal aims - student specific course aims for company projects
2. Project management – allocation of time of both students and project personnel of the
company
3. Roles – a teacher, a consult or a coach; a student, a project leader or an entrepreneur; a
student or a customer
4. Trust and commitment – building of trust between the company member, the student and
the teacher and commitment to project work
5. Identification of skills – participants' learning needs and recognition of change
6. Evaluation – from the perspectives of learning, company development and product
development
In the session of Cambus Encounters- Passion, flow& Transformation we wish you to solve these
further critical factors described above in a mini brainstorm. Effective transformation of
information into action and continuous development of skills are even a greater challenge today
than 20 years ago when UAS were founded.
Keywords (3): impact of restonome education, working life based orientation
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Biography of authors (Max 5 lines/150 words per each author)
Annikki Mikkonen
Maisa Kuha
PhD, Vice rector emerita
MEd, Senior lecturer
JAMK, University of Applied Science JAMK, University of Applied Science
annikki.mikkonen@gmail.com
maisa.kuha@jamk.fi