Developing effective mentoring programs in hospitality higher education: a practical perspective using the mentoring framework

Mentoring programs in hospitality curricula play a critical role in student engagement and graduate success. Good mentoring programs increase the overall quality of the student experience and professional outcomes to foster industry-ready graduates. Our paper begins with a review of the benefits of mentoring programs and the barriers preventing academics in hospitality higher education from implementing mentoring programs in their curriculum. Subsequently, practical strategies on how to navigate these barriers and create an effective mentoring program are discussed to integrate mentoring approaches into teaching and learning curricula as a necessary tool to achieve student engagement and desired graduate attributes. Finally, this paper will provide practical implications by using the mentoring framework as a systematic underpinning blueprint to guide academics on how to integrate mentoring programs as part of their curriculum through a four-step mentoring approach.