Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictive value of age, gender and work experience in relation to hospitality management (HM) academic success, as measured by year one leadership programme (LP) achievement and cumulative grade point average (CGPA). The association between LP and CGPA success and internship performance is also evaluated. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprised 349 international undergraduate HM students. Secondary data were compiled and analysed using SPSS. Eight hypotheses, developed from the literature were tested using χ2, t-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests as appropriate. Findings: Although age was not a predictor of success, males significantly outperformed females. Pre-programme work experience was not a predictor of LP performance but length of paid work experience and supervisory work experience were linked significantly to mean CGPA. LP achievement was positively associated with CGPA and with successful internship completion. Research limitations/implications: Although the student sample was international and spanned three cohorts, the data collection was limited to one institution. Practical implications: Pre-programme work experience, in particular supervisory experience, and the incorporation of management competency-linked LPs into first-year HM curricula are recommended. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the under-researched predictive value of age, gender and pre-programme work experience in relation to HM academic performance, in particular in an LP context. An additional innovative finding is the positive association between LP achievement and success in HM professional practice. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
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