Edinburgh Napier University

  Work based learning (WBL) is an increasingly popular mode of situated learning that is based on an emerging paradigm that considers learning through experience to be the foundation for tacit knowledge. This chapter reports on the findings of exploratory research undertaken during the academic year 2011-2012 on students studying hospitality management degrees at Plymouth University. Qualitative research was undertaken to make sense of student percep- tions of situated learning in Food and Beverage Management at stage five of three hospitality management based programmes.
The paper introduces three organising themes and a set of recommendations to enhance teaching and learning strategies and to offer some insight into the role that this kind of capability-building can play in fostering talent amongst graduates on hospitality manage- ment programmes.
At the end of this chapter you should have achieved the following learning outcomes:
„ Be able to analyse the underlying philiosophy of situated learning in the development of talent within an education setting.
„ Have an awareness of the type of work based activities that can be built into a hospitality and tourism curriculum.
„ Critically analyse the benefits that a situated learning approach brings to both students and employees.
„ Consider a whole new approach to the hospitality and tourism curriculum in higher edu- cation settings