According to Soanes, Hawker and Elliot (2006) skill is the
ability to do something well. Business Dictionary.com
(2011) and Mish (ed.) (1997) further define it as a capability
and aptitude acquired through purposeful, orderly and
sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carry out
complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive
skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal
skills). Skills review analyses developed in about the 1980s
when employers persuaded government to challenge the
autonomy of the training sector by reviewing and evaluating
the traditional curricula because the employers felt that the
curricula were not aligned to their needs (Bennet et al., 2000;
Hoddinott, 2004). In addition, employees in tourism, as
Diplari and Dimou (2010) explain, deem the level of skills and
knowledge offered in tertiary education to be unsatisfactory
and not in line with their needs. Zagonari (2009) has further
added that, because of technological advancements and
the mature nature of the industry’s consumers, employers
require specialisation and a well-educated workforce with
a focus on providing a quality service. The introduction of
learnerships and internships has facilitated improving the
necessary skills and knowledge levels of learners.