Scope and method of study. This study determined if the gap, previously identified in the review of literature, between the skills considered important for success as entry level managers by hospitality recruiters and the skills hospitality educators consider important still exists. The skills identified in the review of literature, as important for success as an entry level manager in the hospitality industry, were used to develop a survey which was distributed to both recruiters in the hospitality industry and hospitality educators. Standard statistical analysis was performed to answer the research questions. Three separate analytical methods indicated that the previously identified gap continuous to exist today.

Findings and conclusions. The response rate for recruiters was 19.8% and for educators 27.1%. The top ten skills were the same between the two groups; the only difference was a slight variation in ordering. The bottom twelve skills were similar, with a moderate variation in ordering. The results indicated that both the recruiters and educators recognize the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) skills. After the top ten skill rankings by recruiters and educators, there is a significant misalignment in the priority level between the two groups of respondents. This is further exacerbated when the historical classification for Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA), Technical (T) and Emotional Intelligence (EI) skills is compared within the rankings. A disparity in age between the two groups points out that the respondents come from different generations, couple this with a divergence in gender indicates that the responses were based upon two completely different perspectives. The results suggest that industry and academia may have become comfortable with their relationship. While these two groups may have settled for the relationship, the inability of educators to adapt to the current needs of industry may lead students to seek degrees from institutions which can provide the skills considered important for success by industry.