• Ashish Mohanty
• Sasmita Mohanty

Abstract: The importance of soft skills in the hospitality industry cannot be undermined. Hence, developing soft skills competency among students should be of topmost priority for institutes/colleges imparting hospitality management education. The objective of this study is to evaluate the soft skills competency from the employers’ perspective of budding hotel management graduates. The research adopts a data reduc¬tion technique using factor analysis statistical technique. A structured questionnaire was administered among major stake¬holders in the hotel industry. The respondents were asked to give rating, on a 5 point Likert scale, on soft skills competency required of hospitality students. Based on the 10 soft skills competency areas, factor analysis was used to explore and detect the underlying relationship among the iden¬tified variables. The data reduction results in the identification of 5 skill components: Communication Skills, Basic Knowledge, Practical & Problem Solving Skills, Interpersonal & Team Skills, Attitude & Commitment Skills. The factors identified could serve as a guiding framework for training and imparting the required soft skills competency for hotel management students in the hotel industry.

Keywords: Hospitality Industry, Soft Skills, Factor Analysis

"SOFT SKILLS COMPETENCY REQUIRED OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT STUDENTS: THE EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 5, page no.245-252, May-2018, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1805640.pdf

"SOFT SKILLS COMPETENCY REQUIRED OF HOTEL MANAGEMENT STUDENTS: THE EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVE", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.5, Issue 5, page no. pp245-252, May-2018, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1805640.pdf