CLUSTER TWELVE: LEISURE AND RECREATION

Quick Takeaways

Tennessee is well known for its great outdoors, with 13 national parks, 56 state parks, and 84 natural areas. In Tennessee, the leisure and hospitality sector is expected to have seven percent growth from 2021 to 20236 due to rising wages in the industry and consumers shifting back to more in-person services. Demand: Most of the indemand occupations in the leisure and recreation cluster require only a high school degree or the equivalent. Food service managers, supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, and pest control workers are in demand in all areas of the state; chefs and head cooks and exercise trainers were in demand in seven areas. Supply: Culinary arts/chef training and hotel/motel administration associate degree programs had the highest employment rates in Tennessee at 68 and 70 percent, respectively. Culinary arts completers from high school CTE programs had employment rates of 53 percent. Those earning bachelor’s degrees in hotel/motel administration were employed at the rate of 51 percent. This cluster includes degrees in sports and exercise science. In 2020-21, more than 900 students completed bachelor’s degrees in exercise science. Unmet Needs: Although employment rates were high for associate degrees in culinary arts and hotel administration, the wages were below state median wages. Increased pay in these fields may entice more students into these fields. Pest control workers were needed in all nine local workforce development areas but specific training was not available.

Tennessee is well-known for its great outdoors. There are 13 national parks in Tennessee, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, receiving over 14.1 million visitors in 2021.99 The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited national parks in the country.100 There are also 57 state parks101 and 84 natural areas102 across Tennessee.

In the last five years, Tennessee’s Leisure and Hospitality industry has grown by 7.3 percent, the fastest job growth in the Southeast and the 5th fastest in the nation.103

Most of the in-demand occupations in the leisure and recreation career cluster require only a high school diploma or equivalent. Food service managers, lodging managers, chefs and head cooks, supervisors of food-preparation and serving workers, supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers, pest control workers, and exercise trainers and group fitness workers are all in-demand in statewide and, for some of these, in nearly all regions in the state. Pest control workers typically require a HS diploma or equivalent only but are needed statewide and in all nine local workforce development areas, which may indicate a need for training opportunities.

Institutions across Tennessee offer programs in hospitality and tourism management as well as programs in health and fitness studies. MTSU’s Bachelor of Science in Tourism and Hospitality Management is the only degree program of its kind at a public institution in the state and offers specializations in tourism management, hospitality management, and event planning. In partnership with industry in the middle Tennessee region, all students in the program gain at least six credit hours of work experience while completing their degree.104

Several community colleges and TCATs across the state offer one-to-two-year programs in culinary arts, which prepare individuals to provide professional chef services in restaurants and other commercial food establishments. Instruction in these programs includes lessons on recipe and menu planning, supervising, and training kitchen assistance, management of food supplies and resources, and a wide variety of culinary techniques.105 Although employment rates are high for completers in culinary arts and hotel administration, wages are below the state median. Increased pay in these fields may entice more students.

ETSU offers a range of programs in the Sport and Fitness Administration sector, including a Sport and Recreation Management bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and several graduate certificates, such as Athletic Administration and eSports Management. The eSports Management certificate is the first of its kind in the

99 National Park Services, Annual Park Recreation Visits Stats Report Viewer

100 USA Today, America’s most-visited national parks

101 Tennessee State Parks, Find a Park

102 Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation, List of Natural Areas

103 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Statistics, Leisure and Hospitality, December 2017 - December 2022

104 MTSU, Tourism and Hospitality Management Requirements

105 NCES, CIP Code 12.0503 state and offers a customizable curriculum for students interested in learning more about eSports marketing, facilities management, administration, and communications/public relations. Students can apply the hours earned through the certificate toward a Master of Science program as well.106