Hospitality students’ perceptions of the restaurant industry as a career choice : case study of the restaurant management program at Helwan University

Abstract EN

This study explored 4ie perceptions of hospitality undergraduate students towards the restaurant industry as a career choice.

One hundred and twenty-one students currently studying restaurant management (internship program) at Helwan University completed a questionnaire rating the importance of twenty factors in influencing their choice of career, and then the extent to which they believed the restaurant industry, as a career, offers these factors.

The results revealed that students generally do not believe that a career in the restaurant industry will offer tiiem the factors they find unportant, as many factors have been identified as being significantly different.

The results ialso indicate that as students get fiir&er into their academic study, and have more work ejqjerience through internship, then- perceptions about the industry as a career choice decline.

Based on the findings, recommendations for hospitality educational institutions and restaurant industry stakeholders were provided in order to enhance the quality of the restaurant management intemship programs.

The study also proposed recommendations to improve the perceptions and attitudes of students towards the careers of the industry.