You’ve felt it in your bones for some time & your family may have even been kind enough to mention it, but now a study has confirmed that travel professionals are over-qualified for their current jobs.
Too smart?! Oh why thank you SkillsIQ, which found one in three Australian travel and tourism workers (including Travel Agents) are holding qualifications that aren’t required for their roles.
Remember that Advanced Diploma you completed and never used? Or that uni degree you did just to satisfy your parents?
You might say education never hurt anyone, well it might not physically but it can financially and emotionally.
The non-for-profit organisation, focused on ensuring Australians spend time and money on the right skills, found that those spending unnecessary time and money on wasted knowledge and skills end up feeling unhappy in their jobs.
“Over-qualified staff are dissatisfied, counter-productive, take more breaks and lack the practical skills necessary to perform at work.”
Yasmin King, SkillsIQ Chief Executive
King continued, explaining that these over-qualified individuals often leave their jobs, which contributes to the high 66 percent average employee turnover rate in Australian tourism.
“It costs tourism business owners time and money to retain and replace over-qualified team members who leave their jobs,” she explained.
SkillsIQ suggested that a solution for over-qualification and turn-over would be to ensure young people interested in tourism seek out practical work experience over higher qualification.
“A hotel receptionist doesn’t need an Advanced Diploma of Travel and Tourism management, they need practical VET skills,” King added.
“This isn’t about avoiding higher qualifications – more about making sure you’re getting the right qualifications at the right time in your career.”
Yasmin King, SkillsIQ Chief Executive
“It’s also a question of whether higher qualifications are what will give you the skills and career progression you’re looking for.”
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