Abstract
This study aims to identify the characteristics of effective human resource training programs in the field of tourism, which are implemented in collaboration with universities and government organizations, such as the local federation. In Japan, approximately 70 % of hospitality companies are small and medium sized enterprises without large labor budgets. Therefore, the scope of on-the-job and off-the-job training implemented by each company is limited, making human resource training programs provided in collaboration with local governments and tourism education essential. In this study, we analyzed the case of the Ishikawa Tourism Creation School managed by the Ishikawa Prefecture Tourism Federation. Qualitative data was gathered via semi-structured interviews. The characteristics of an effective program are that it stimulates participants’ willingness to contribute to the community, participants gain familiarity with the relationship with the government officials, participants can benefit from interaction with others and enhance their career awareness through cross-boundary learning, and they can gain knowledge about tourism and the hospitality industry through the university’s tourism department. The program could be positioned as an additional education to complement human resource development training within companies and education provided by higher institutions such as universities.
