People 1st - Diploma in Hospitality

Fulfilling your potential, now and in the future.

Schools, Colleges and Providers

About the Diploma

The new Diploma has been introduced as part of the government’s 14-19 education reforms. Seventeen Diplomas are currently planned to be introduced in phases, with the first phase of five beginning to be taught in schools and colleges from September 2008. The Hospitality Diploma is one of five phase two diplomas with teaching beginning in September 2009. Diplomas are set within a broad industry context and will be available at levels 1 (foundation), 2 (higher) and 3 (advanced level). These new Diplomas contain a mix of generic and industry learning.

Diplomas are intended to:

Further information on this and the whole diploma programme can be found at
www.qca.org.uk/14-19 and at www.dcsf.gov.uk/14-19

Background to the Hospitality Diploma

People 1st, the Sector Skills Council for the Hospitality and Travel and Tourism industries is taking a leading role in the development of the Hospitality Diploma and working closely with Go Skills to develop the Travel and Tourism Diploma.

People 1st has worked closely with a large number of employers, both large and small, and covering the whole of the sector for Hospitality to help us develop the content for the Diploma. At the same time we have consulted with training providers, teachers, schools, lecturers, colleges, universities and other key partners involved in education to ensure that the content is valid, up to date, and suitable for all young people to work with.

Our work started in April 2006 and since then, through use of our consultation events, workshops, on-line consultations, email updates, and publication of material on the website, we have reached many hundreds of stakeholders. Many more were also involved in the QCA consultation events to establish the regulatory criteria for the Hospitality Diploma qualification on which awarding bodies will base their Diploma qualification. We also established an Expert Panel, with a mix of employers, teachers and lecturers to help us validate our findings.

We hope that you will find this Diploma interesting, stimulating and exciting. All the best practice that we found in our research should be reflected in this Diploma and should allow those who already run successful, motivating programmes in Hospitality to continue to do so.

Themes within the Diploma

There are four themes that permeate the Diploma in Hospitality and under which the Diploma topics are grouped. The development of the themes through the three levels should reflect the increasing demands on learners’ acquisition of the relevant knowledge, understanding and skills. As detailed elsewhere, the emphasis across all four themes should be one of practical learning and the development and integration of learners’ functional and personal, learning and thinking skills.

The four themes as shown in the table above are:

Theme A - The hospitality industry

This theme introduces learners to the fundamentals of the sector and the range, variety and relevance of the industry to the UK economy, the pervasive nature of the industry and the excitement which comes from working within it. As an initial theme for the sector learners should be introduced as quickly as possible to the practical nature of the industry. It is important that they are stimulated and enthusiastic about the opportunities for employment and career progression in the industry as well as it being a really exciting and relevant subject to study.

At all levels, this theme should promote an interest in the extensive range of activities and establishments the industry embraces, develops in learners an understanding of the fundamentals of good customer service and an ability to use hospitality terminology correctly in their work. It is particularly important that learners at level 3 appreciate how legislation impinges on establishments’ ability to deliver the customer service which meets the needs of all customers.

Through the units covered under this theme, learners will develop those personal skills which can be applied more specifically to hospitality environments, possibly as part of their work experience or as an integral part of their Diploma project.

Theme B - People in the hospitality industry

This theme introduces and develops learners’ appreciation of the important concept that the hospitality industry is a ‘people-based’ industry and that the positive interaction of individuals in the industry with customers and colleagues is vital to the success of all hospitality establishments. The topic also highlights the impact of effective and ineffective teamwork and details the range, use and impact of different methods of communication in the industry.

At Foundation level (level 1), there is a focus on developing learners’ personal skills, particularly basic teamwork and communication skills, as vital criteria for providing effective customer service in the hospitality industry.

These personal skills are developed further through the levels, and at level 3 include establishing the importance of teamwork among the various hospitality functional areas and dealing with managing people to maximise their impact on customers.

Theme C - Business and finance in the hospitality industry

This theme is introduced at Higher level (level 2) and covers basic but important business and financial principles and terminology relevant to the hospitality industry and their level of study.

At Advanced level (level 3) the theme further develops learners’ understanding of the financial aspects of the industry and how effective budgetary planning, financial control and promotion of the business are vital to the success of any hospitality establishment.

Theme D - Hospitality operations

The purpose of this topic is to introduce learners to a crucial practical aspect of the hospitality industry – how food and beverages are prepared and served to customers – this includes developing some practical skills in cooking at all three levels. The topic should develop in learners a basic understanding of where food comes from, how it is prepared safe for customers to eat and how food preparation and cooking differs across cultures. It should also introduce them to the principles of healthy eating.

At levels 2 and 3, the theme introduces learners to the operational functions and management of hospitality establishments, including how the different functional areas work together to provide effective customer service. This very practical theme has a central focus on meeting customer needs, particularly in the preparation and serving of customer meals.

Functional Skills

The Department for Children, Schools and Families state that functional skills:

‘… provide an individual with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and at work. Individuals of whatever age who possess these skills will be able to participate and progress in education, training and employment as well as develop and secure the broader range of aptitudes, attitudes and behaviours that will enable them to make a positive contribution to the communities in which they live and work.’

Draft standards are available for:

In each case standards have been developed for Entry Level and Levels 1 (Foundation level) and 2 (Higher level).

These standards form the basis for qualifications that are being integrated into all Diplomas. Functional skills will also be incorporated into revised GCSEs and will also be available as free-standing qualifications – reflecting the importance of these skills to all learners.

Functional skills are about more than knowing facts and figures: they are about the application of practical skills to real world situations. These skills make are crucial to many everyday situations in our industry – from the need to calculate the relationships between costs and portion sizes so that meals can be produced at a profit to the importance of good communication between team members in ensuring a smooth and enjoyable experience for customers. Although traditional education has dealt with these skills for many years, meeting the requirements of the functional skills places new demands on teaching and learning.

In particular, functional skills stress the importance of three aspects of learning:

Assessment

There are three key aspects of the Diploma in Hospitality which should always be born in mind when designing assessment activities, assessment objectivities or performance criteria to check that learning outcomes have been achieved:

Internal and External Assessment

Awarding bodies will be setting a minimum amount of external assessment for each diploma level:

The external assessment activities will be set and marked by awarding bodies. The form of internal assessment could be in the form of any one or more of the activities suggested below. These will be subject to some form of external quality assurance to ensure consistency across centres. The key change to the arrangements for internal assessment is that normally supervised and conducted under supervised under controlled conditions.

Whichever activities are used to assess competence in a unit, or as a means of accessing any prescribed criteria laid down by awarding bodies, the same principles apply as when considering programme delivery methods i.e. they must be stimulating, relevant, practical-based and firmly routed in the appropriate personal, learning and thinking skills.

Assessment Methods and Activities

‘Assessment’ in its most general sense can take many formats or methods, and can be defined in many different ways, for example:

There are likely to be others of relevance.

It is hoped that centres will attempt to use as many of the above types of delivery or assessment activities to give learners a variety of experiences of how their competence is assessed. Where learners have different needs, or find particular assessment activities more difficult to access, centres should use alternative methods.

Learners may also demonstrate competence by completing a specific, accredited course of which the gaining of the certificate would be taken as coverage of the relevant learning outcomes or assessment criteria e.g. in Food Hygiene and Safety.

Finally, whatever name is given to the physical item in which candidate work is gathered, there must be some means of bringing their work and achievements together prior to it being internally assessed. One suggestion is to name this item a ‘file of achievement’ in which is placed the physical

Assessment and Work Experience

It is recognised that the work experience component, whilst compulsory, will not be formally assessed. However in its widest sense, and specifically in the form of work placement, work experience is a rich source of opportunities for learners to develop their Hospitality knowledge, understanding and skills and to have these ‘tested’ in some format or at least more formally recognised.

People1st is developing a range of work experience briefs for employers and employees, based on the Diploma topics, which will have specific learning outcomes and competencies detailed. It is possible that employers can assess learners’ competencies in a range of relevant practical scenarios and complete a ‘confirmation of achievement’ template, which can be placed in the learner’s ‘file of achievement’.

This arrangement will have the benefits of:

The following are comments specific to the assessment of individual diploma topics. It is recognised that the comments have an overlap with suggestions for delivery. They have been gathered and synthesised from a range of stakeholders including employers and deliverers.

Exemplar Delivery of the Diploma

Introduction

As stated above, the Hospitality Diploma at all three levels must be planned and delivered as a practical based subject which requires an appropriate set of resources, professional support and relevant, stimulating work experience for learners. It cannot and must not be seen in any way as a subject which can be delivered in or with a ’classroom’ approach.

It is expected that Hospitality students will far exceed the minimum requirements for the work experience component and that attachment to one or more appropriate establishments throughout their programme of study will be integral to all learners’ success. Through this association there are also expected to be ample opportunities for learners to complete the project component of the diploma.

As a ‘people-based’ industry, a phrase often used by employers, it is vital that delivery programmes at all three levels allow lots of access and opportunities to develop learners’ personal, learning and thinking skills. The key industry criteria for success - providing effective customer service, communicating with customers and colleagues, presentation skills and teamwork – should all feature in delivery programmes.

Foundation level Diploma

Those delivering Foundation level should also be familiar with the Higher and Advanced level Diplomas, as this will ensure that they see opportunities for progression for the learner. They should also be familiar with the Specialist Learning topics, as learners who wish to also achieve Specialist Learning may have opportunities to exploit within Principal learning.

Foundation Level learners should be encouraged to work in a team and to develop their confidence in new and unfamiliar environments. Communication skills, people skills and a willingness to learn more are a good basis to move on from here to further study or employment.

Exposure to the types of jobs and careers can inspire Level One learners. Getting a feel for what it is like to be a guest or customer and how customers are made to feel comfortable and welcome can be a good start. This can be done by role play or starting the programme with a visit to a café for instance. Some centres may have good enough relationship with a local hotel or restaurant for a small group to be invited and served coffee.

Starting with simple food presentation by making tasty sandwiches can be very rewarding, and some centres may have good relations with a local chef who can teach some simple yet rewarding tricks of the trade.

Diploma Centres will see from the Level One that the approach to financial, statistical and mathematical knowledge and skills is implied rather than explicitly defined. Learners will be undertaking functional skills of maths, English and ICT. The integration of these, to help develop the skills, and of topics within the Principal Learning that overlap is motivating and meaningful for learners. Tracking progress and coverage will be important.

Higher Diploma

Those delivering Higher Level should also be familiar with the Foundation Level and Advanced Level Diplomas, as this will ensure that they see opportunities for progression for the learner or achievement at the lower level if learners are struggling. They should also be familiar with the Specialist Learning topics, as learners who wish to also achieve Specialist Learning may have opportunities to exploit within Principal Learning.

Advanced Diploma

Those delivering Advanced level should also be familiar with the Foundation and Higher level Diplomas, as this will ensure that they see opportunities for achievement at the lower level if learners are struggling. They should also be familiar with the Specialist learning topics, as learners who wish to also achieve Specialist Learning may have opportunities to exploit within Principal learning. They should also know the content of advanced courses beyond the Diploma in the area of Hospitality so that they can advise learners who have an interest in further study and training.

Download Documents

Click here to download Companion Document