A Preliminary Investigation into the Transition and Utilisation of Hospitality Graduates in SMEs

This paper discusses a pilot research project on graduate employment in small hospitality firms. It examines the transition and utilisation of the graduates within these firms. Findings from interviews suggest that these graduates and their managers were satisfied with levels of performance. However, much of the graduates' time was spent on relatively low-level tasks and responsibilities, in relation to which they were relying heavily on pre-degree learning. The paper speculates that in particular types of small firms graduate labour may remain underutilised and underdeveloped. It questions, therefore, prevailing assumptions that the future for graduate labour within hospitality will be dominated by small firms. The paper concludes that future research into employment of hospitality graduates must be focused upon the demand for and utilisation of graduates by, explicitly, growth SMEs.