An Exploratory Study on the Virtual Learning Environment as a Training Platform of Tourism and Hospitality students in relation to their future workplace

The use of Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) as training platforms has brought about not only a new way of delivering education but also training to academic institutions and other organizations. As a result of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, universities have carried out teaching in a digital way, accelerating the inclusion and use of technologies in methodological adaptation. The need to reduce costs and increase quality, has demonstrated e-learning technology’s importance on training tourism professionals as well. E-learning technology in the tourism sector is associated with knowledge being delivered online to learners, in this case tourism and hospitality students. For tourism educators and professionals, this study can be applied to build the connection between tourism education and virtual web training in the new normal and the awareness and expectation on how to construct engaging and interactive learning experiences to meet the expectations of the tourism students. The effectiveness of a virtual learning environment will obtain best results in the learning process for the possible employment of the tourism and hospitality students. Considering the current and unforeseen developments in technology, consumption, management and operations, the hotel of tomorrow will not be incrementally but radically different from today. Through these VLEs, tourism professionals need to adapt the needs of the students to develop an E-Learning program for the betterment of tomorrow ‘s front liner. Thus, this study examines VLEs as the training platform in preparation of the tourism and hospitality students for their future employment opportunities as perceived by the industry professionals. A qualitative-phenomenological approach will be employed in the study. The instrument to be used in gathering data is an interview guide. Moreover, the final output of the study will be a proposed E-training program that could serve as guidelines of the HEIs in preparing their students.