Developing Industry-Demand-Oriented English Teaching Resources for Cruise Programs: Mechanisms, Pathways, and Quality Assurance

Abstract

As the global cruise industry recovers and restructures while the Chinese cruise market enters a stage of rapid expansion, the language competence required of cruise crew members is undergoing a visible upgrade, exposing a widening gap between industry expectations and the English teaching resources used in cruise-related programs. Grounded in needs analysis from English for Specific Purposes and in competency-based vocational education, this study examines how English teaching resources for cruise programs can be planned, produced, and maintained around genuine industry demand. The paper first constructs an English competency map covering major cruise service and operations positions, then designs a collaborative governance structure and a compliant school-enterprise joint development mechanism with clearly assigned tasks and incentives. On this basis, it proposes a structured development team built around cross-disciplinary collaboration, dual academic-industry leadership, and a tiered pathway of teacher practice. The study further elaborates reform pathways that reorganize the curriculum around job task chains, build dual on-campus and off-campus training bases with authentic scenarios, empower resource development with digital and intelligent technologies, promote joint research and resource co-construction, and establish multi-stakeholder evidence-based evaluation. Finally, the paper summarizes the distinctive features of the resource system, including the integration of language ability, professional norms, and intercultural communication, a digital-physical platform for full-process practical teaching, and a traceable quality assurance mechanism. The findings offer a replicable framework for aligning cruise English education with the evolving demands of the industry.