Hoe Yue Fen, Cheah Swee Tin and *Azreen Rozainee Abdullah

Abstract: In today’s competitive job market, graduates from higher education institutions are expected to possess knowledge, skills, and competencies that meet the demands of real-world professional environments, particularly in the hospitality and culinary arts industry. This study investigates the perceptions of hospitality and culinary arts graduates from UOW Malaysia KDU Penang University College regarding the effectiveness of their academic experiences in preparing them for professional practice. A qualitative research design was adopted, and structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 graduates currently working in the hospitality, tourism, and culinary sectors. Data were analysed using thematic analysis to identify key patterns in graduates’ reflections on curriculum relevance, skill development, and workplace readiness. The findings indicate that graduates generally felt adequately prepared to enter the industry, particularly in terms of foundational knowledge, communication, teamwork, and organisational abilities. However, many respondents perceived an imbalance between theoretical learning and practical exposure, noting that while the curriculum effectively develops soft skills and conceptual understanding, it could further strengthen technical competence through expanded experiential learning opportunities. Graduates emphasised the importance of hands-on training, realistic workplace simulations, and stronger integration of industry tools and technologies to better reflect professional demands. The study also highlights that curriculum relevance extends beyond employability skills alone, as graduates’ workplace experiences contribute to the formation of professional and culinary identities shaped by local industry expectations and service cultures in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. These findings suggest that higher education institutions should continuously align curriculum design with industry practices while fostering experiential learning environments that support both skill mastery and professional identity development. Ensuring a balanced integration of theoretical knowledge, practical training, and soft skills is therefore essential to enhance graduates’ career readiness and successful transition into professional practice.

Keywords: Academic curriculum, career readiness, culinary arts, hospitality, industry
expectation