Attainment of Professional Certificates in Hospitality and Tourism Graduates’ Career Perspectives in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This research evaluates whether the attainment of certification could affect the career perspectives of hospitality and tourism graduates. It collects a set of survey data on 729 tourism and hospitality graduates from 38 colleges and vocational schools in Taiwan. The resultant data demonstrate that those acquiring a professional certificate are more likely to have a full-time job. The level of starting salaries mainly depends on academic credentials, language proficiency, and academic performance. Findings show that students often develop a secondary job skill (e.g., a foreign language) to enhance their career path. Surprisingly, the possession of tourism/hospitality-related certificates has no significant impact on starting salaries, a departure from students’ general perception.