Fulfilling your potential, now and in the future.
Students and Parents
If you are a student read on
Whether you have already set your heart on a career, or hope to go to university or just want to learn, the Hospitality Diploma is a way for you to explore your options whilst still at school. The new qualification is aimed at young people in school from age 14 and will be available in some schools and colleges from September 2009. It offers a mix of classroom learning and practical work to prepare you for the future. The Hospitality Diploma covers studying the industry, and all the aspects of working in hotels, restaurants and pubs.
The Hospitality Diploma will give you the opportunity to develop the sorts of skills that are valued in the hospitality industry, but also English, Maths, and IT in a creative and enjoyable way.It is being introduced with a suite of Diplomas covering other industries to encourage young people to learn for longer (to stay on a school to ensure that they get full benefit from their time in full time education). The Hospitality Diploma can be taken instead of, or alongside, GCSEs and A levels. Students can choose a Diploma that suits their needs, helping them to succeed in life. If you think you would benefit from developing some of the skills that are important to the world of hospitality, then this is a good choice of learning for you. It will teach you how to deal with customers, think for yourself, express yourself well – particularly with adults, help you to become a good problem solver, all of which are important for life in general, but also of great importance to this industry. On top on this you will learn to prepare, cook and serve food, gain an understanding of good nutrition and be able to manage money. If you go on to the Advanced level Diploma (equivalent to three and a half A levels) you will gain an understanding of how to run a business, and cover topics such as sales and marketing. It will be a very useful start in life for any young person who wants to work in the hotel business, restaurant business or who wants to work with people, for instance in a hospital, anywhere where people are looked after and fed in fact.
The Hospitality Diploma will give you an insight into the world of work, helping you make decisions about your future. The Diploma, which differs from qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels as it combines theoretical study with practical experience, will provide the tools you need for employment, as well as into further or higher education.
There are three levels of achievement, Foundation level, equivalent to 5 GCSEs, Higher level equivalent to 7 GCSEs, and Advanced level, equivalent to three and a half A levels.
The Hospitality Diploma provides the vital knowledge and skills employers and universities are looking for. The Hospitality Diploma will suit young people of all abilities who are attracted to a course that combines theory with practice. It will give a grounding in the industry, while ensuring that you have the wider skills to prepare you for work and further or higher education
Case Studies
Level 2 learner, Sanjit
Sanjit is 15, and she knows what sort of things she enjoys doing. She is outgoing and friendly, a “people” person. She is half way through her Hospitality Diploma level 2. She chose this because her parents wanted her to continue with GCSE English, Maths and ICT and it fits well with these. She also is keen on the idea of working in a hotel, although she is not sure what exactly she wants to do. She quite likes the idea of running a department of a hotel, maybe working in Personnel. She has done some research of the industry as part of her Diploma, and knows about the different areas like restaurants, pubs, and cafes, hotel work, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, catering for large places like schools and hospitals, and hospitality events like conference organising, festivals and fetes. She was keen also to have a go at doing something with her hands, so cooking was ideal.
She has learnt how to cook some nice dishes, but just as importantly, what a good, healthy, well balanced meal is and how to present it so it looks appetising. She loves the enormous variety of things she is learning. As she is a people person she is really good at the team working, customer service and general good communication skills that she is developing and that she can see helps her get on well particularly in the times she does work experience. She really enjoyed her work experience in her first year, she worked in a restaurant, and all the stuff she had been taught about food hygiene really came to life for her here. The restaurant allowed her to take orders and talk to the customers. She really liked being treated like an adult.
Initially she found it difficult to decide on a project. She thought that the things about safe working and food hygiene were a bit of a bore to begin with, so her teacher suggested that she do a project on it to make it more interesting for her and for the others on the course. She is now busy writing a presentation to show the others in her class, because she now thinks she is a bit of an expert and really likes sharing the knowledge she has gained. It will help her with her English, communications studies and her ICT. Her project, and her other studies are full of ways of developing the “life skills” that are needed in this industry, and Sanjit is a natural.
Level 3 learner, Patrick
Patrick is 16, and not very outgoing. He has taken his GCSEs and he thinks his grades are going to be ok. He has chosen to do the level 3 Diploma in Hospitality. He is not sure that he wants to go to university yet, and wants to explore a subject that could take him to a job when he leaves school, or that would let him go to university if he decides that is what he wants to do. Patrick’s parents think he is really clever, good at solving problems and very practical but they think he needs a course that will bring him out of himself a bit. They and Patrick are attracted to the Hospitality Diploma because it will allow him to develop in different ways. His parents can see that he will have to get better at speaking and communicating with people and working with a team.
Because he is good at other things like problem solving, and finding out things, they think he will be able to offer the course something too. Patrick and his parents like the idea of developing a really practical skill like cooking. Patrick cooks now for the family and loves all the TV chef programmes and thinks he might like to run his own restaurant at some time in the future. He will learn all about the restaurant business in his Diploma, be able to develop chefing skills, but also learn about running his own business. He is a little worried about the work experience bit of his Diploma, because he is quite shy, but his teacher has already arranged his work experience – which will be at a near by hotel. The chef from the hotel comes to the school quite often already and Patrick has met him, so it will not be so hard for him.
All in all he and his parents think this Diploma sounds like a good grounding in life skills as well as giving him an insight into how to set up on his own. Good life skills easily transferred to lots of situations.
If you are a parent read on
Whether your child has already set their heart on a career, hopes to go to university or just wants to learn, the Hospitality Diploma is a way for them to explore their options. The new qualification aimed at young people in school from age 14 will be available in some schools and colleges from September 2009. It offers a mix of classroom learning and practical work to prepare your child for the future. The Hospitality Diploma covers studying the industry, and all the aspects of working in hotels, restaurants and pubs.
The Hospitality Diploma will give your child the opportunity to develop the sorts of skills that are valued in the Hospitality industry, but also English, Maths, and IT in a creative and enjoyable way.
It is being introduced with a suite of Diplomas covering other industries to encourage young people to learn for longer (to stay on a school to ensure that they get full benefit from their time in full time education). The Hospitality Diploma can be taken instead of, or alongside, GCSEs and A levels. Students can choose a Diploma that suits their needs, helping them to succeed in life. If you think your child would benefit from developing some of the skills that are important to the world of Hospitality, then this is a good choice of learning from them. It will teach young people how to deal with customers, think for themselves, express themselves well, help them to become good problem solvers, give them research and presentation skills, all of which are important for life in general, but also of great importance to this industry. On top on this they will learn to prepare, cook and serve food, gain an understanding of good nutrition and be able to budget, and if they go on to the Advanced level Diploma (equivalent to three and a half A levels) they will gain an understanding of how to run a business, and cover topics such as sales and marketing. It will be a very useful start in life for any young person who wants to work in the hotel business, restaurant business or who wants to work in the public sector, for instance in a hospital, in fact, anywhere where people are looked after and fed.
The Hospitality Diploma will give young people an insight into the world of work, helping them make decisions about their future. The Diploma, which differs from traditional qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels as it combines theoretical study with practical experience, will provide the tools needed for progression into employment, as well as into further or higher education.
There are three levels of achievement, Foundation level, equivalent to 5 GCES, Higher level equivalent to 7 GCES, and Advanced level, equivalent to three and a half A levels.
The Hospitality Diploma provides the vital knowledge and skills employers and universities are looking for. Employers and universities have had a very important influence on the content of these Diplomas, to ensure that they will prepare the young person for employment and or further and higher education. The Hospitality Diploma will suit young people of all abilities attracted to a course that combines theory with practice. It will give a grounding in specific sectors and subjects, while ensuring students have a the wider skills to prepare them for work and further or higher education.
