Abstract

Estonia is considering integrating vocational education training (VET) with higher education (HE) learning. Integrated education in the field of tourism is essential to guarantee students both practical and academic education. However, it is inaccessible due to insufficient knowledge about the needs and readiness of target groups for integrated learning and the lack of respective legislation. This research aims to determine the need and readiness of different target groups for implementing integrated learning. With institutional and border-crossing theory references, the study develops an empirical typology of integrated learning. The collaborative research method involves coordination between university researchers and tourism actors, students at the bachelor’s and vocational school levels, teachers at a vocational school, and employers of companies in the tourism sector (hotels, restaurants, and theme parks). Qualitative data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed using the transcribed text to find sections corresponding to indicators from theory, which were integrated into generalized categories. The results indicated that the target groups saw the need for integration. This research demonstrates ways to introduce integrated learning with a small-change project at the micro level and move step by step to the macro level.