CAREER PROGRESS OF RECENT TOURISM GRADUATES

This paper reports on a study of the initial career growth of graduates of Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Tourism Management degree program. CSU has been offering a tourism management specialization since 1984. It revealed that Tourism Management graduates enjoy high employment rates, are highly mobile in the workforce and while initial starting salaries are low, within three years of graduation, degree holders earn salaries that are above the Australian mean. Significantly, however, only about 40% of all former tourism students and only 55% of Tourism Management majors surveyed are working in the tourism industry. The study revealed that graduates working in the tourism industry feel their education has become increasingly important and relevant to them as they progress up their career paths.