Vocational education in tourism at schools and colleges of Himachal Pradesh, India: a qualitative inquiry on challenges encountered by trainers

ABSTRACT The rapid growth of travel trade in India has propelled the demand for well-trained and qualified personnel. To foster the quality skills and knowledge among the potential workforce, the role of teachers/trainers has been indispensable. Therefore, it is essential to properly address the needs of educators. The present study aims to identify and analyze the challenges of vocational (tourism) trainers imparting skill-based training in the schools and colleges of Himachal Pradesh (India). The data collected from 91 vocational trainers of Himachal Pradesh through semi-structured interviews was analyzed qualitatively using content analysis supported by NVivo software. The study resulted into 34 perceived challenges which were grouped under 7 distinct categories: teaching-related challenges, student-related challenges, society-related challenges, challenges at the end of outsourcing companies, challenges at the end of Government, syllabus-related challenges, and school’s location. The findings imply the urgent need to improve the system of vocational education by timely addressing the varied challenges of vocational trainers.