What Contributes to the Intention of Tourism Majors in Korea to Acquire Foreign Language Skills?

International Internships, Language Competency, and Employability: Perceptions of and Gaps Between Students and Industry Stakeholders

“…Hence, he recommended that hoteliers should work with educators to better prepare students to have stronger English proficiency, especially in speaking and listening. Other researchers have also supported the finding that English language competency plays a major role in employability and have suggested that educators and industry human resource practitioners place more effort on better preparing the future workforce in their respective industries (Yamada et al, 2014;Zainuddin et al, 2019).…”

“…English competency also correlates with career success in tourism-related industries even in countries where English is used only as a foreign language. Hence, educators in these countries are striving to increase student English proficiency, in order to thereby facilitate their marketability and qualifications (Yamada et al, 2014). In addition, Zainuddin et al (2019) investigated the relationship of language competency to employability and found that interns and practitioners agreed on the importance played by language competency.…”

“…Moreover, the importance that employers in service-related fields place on hiring employees who possess a strong linguistic ability cannot be underestimated: in particular, oral communication skills are highly prized. This is seen in Yamada et al's (2014) study, which stressed that the most essential skill that employers look for is the employee's ability to speak English effectively and good communication skills. Although strong communication skills and strong language skills are not necessarily equivalent, international interns who are highly proficient in English are poised to develop the requisite communication skills more fully.…”