From Classroom to Career: Integrating Education, Training, and Sustainability in Tourism

Abstract

Aims: This study fills that gap by proposing a holistic framework that integrates education, training, and experiential learning, strengthens lifelong learning and communities of practice, and aligns academia, industry, and policymakers to create globally relevant yet locally adaptive tourism education. Study Design:  This research employs a literature review approach, the study is qualitative and descriptive-analytical, aiming to identify patterns, concepts, and both conceptual and practical gaps in related literature. Place and Duration of Study: The location of this research in Jakarta, Indonesia. During for this research is one month. Methodology: This study applied a literature review method, analyzing academic publications, international reports, and institutional documents from UNWTO, WTTC, and OECD. Thematic analysis grouped key issues such as sector definition, industry fragmentation, education-training relations, and lifelong learning. In addition, this study employed a case study of Politeknik Sahid to provide contextual evidence and illustrate how the identified issues and proposed solutions manifest within a specific institutional setting. Results: The findings of this study are expected to help students understand the importance of integrating technical skills, soft skills, and sustainability awareness as key assets for navigating the dynamics of the global tourism industry. For practitioners, the results can serve as a basis for designing a more holistic human resource development strategy, encompassing both technical competency enhancement and employee well-being and work-life balance. Conclusion: Based on the findings, this study suggests implications for educational institutions and policymakers, emphasizing stronger institutional linkages, broader skill assessments, adoption of international standards, sustainable funding, and coordinated curriculum alignment to build a future-oriented tourism education system.