Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery
Services - Consumer Services
Purpose and Rationale
Purpose
The purpose of the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery is to deliver learners who would be able to apply specialised professional cookery, chef management knowledge, principles, and skills. It will provide vocational, professional preparation, or specialisation for learners who have a Bachelor's or Diploma qualification. The core components will be professional cookery operations and professional gastronomy as this forms the vertical spine of the qualification as it builds upon one of the key thrusts of the Diploma, namely Operations, Management, and the Theory of Gastronomy. In the Research module, a research-orientated approach in the solving of complex theoretical and practical problems in the food and beverage industry will be followed. Learners will integrate their knowledge in engaging in research elements to facilitate a research approach for investigating issues and concerns in the disciplinary field. The qualifying learner will be competent in consistently using a variety of technical, managerial, and personal skills and strategies in the everyday operations of the chef industry. The successful learner will have developed a sound foundation for progression into management and industry leadership positions; they will have the ability to identify and pursue entrepreneurial opportunities and will be able to demonstrate relevant knowledge of the chef industry and apply the knowledge in practice by supporting, monitoring, managing the back of house sector to the expected level of competence and professionalism. The areas of activities within the qualification focus on the development of graduate attributes, skills, and competencies for various roles within the professional cookery sector. The ratio of conceptual to contextual knowledge varies but conceptual knowledge focusing on concepts, principles, and perspectives forms approximately 30% of the subject content in each subject. In all subjects, contextual knowledge comprises approximately 70% and includes work-directed, problem-based, and project-based learning. Furthermore, the learner will develop as a professional chef who will be able to demonstrate skills, competencies, and knowledge and perform adequately in the workplace. The learner will be able to collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate related information to attend to the management needs of the industry (leadership and management skills) and stay continuously updated with changing environments and niche markets in order to develop innovative marketing, management, and back of house strategies. These elements and dimensions of practice are underpinned and reflected in the Exit Level Outcomes of the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery. The learners will have specific knowledge that focuses on the development of graduate skills and competencies for the chef field of study. Furthermore, the learner will develop as professional chef practitioners who can demonstrate skills, competencies, and knowledge and perform adequately in the workplace. This qualification will equip learners to achieve sustainable development, promote environmental awareness, and improve the welfare of local communities by supporting the local economy. The intention of this qualification is therefore to develop learner awareness, understanding, and appreciation of related hospitality management principles and an understanding and appreciation of self-employment opportunities through acquiring entrepreneurial skills.
Rationale
The rationale for the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery qualification is that it is specifically designed to provide broad-based education in Professional Cookery. This qualification allows the learners to embrace a broader opportunity for employment and career-related goals. The Advanced Diploma will ensure that middle-level management and senior positions in the back of house chef division of the hospitality sector have the requisite competencies and associated proficiency to succeed. The academic rationale of the Advanced Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery represents a blend of conceptual and contextual knowledge, skill and applied competence which is appropriate to the purpose of the qualification and the nature of the profession whether as a chef or others related hospitality manager positions. The main study area opens up a career pathway to senior Chef Positions. The National Skills development plan of South Africa aims to promote the development of chefs and plans to formulate, update and monitor related policies and procedures in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The Advance Diploma in Hospitality and Professional Cookery is located in this major tourism hub to support this dynamic industry with its demanding need for chefs. There is currently a scarcity of high-level skilled chefs which includes middle and top management positions as the industry requires competent learners to conduct research and assist in the continuous formulation of policies for the industry. Stakeholder engagement indicated support for the qualification type in light of the fact that the qualification offers intensive and focused applied specialisation in the niche area of the Chef field. The occupations and job opportunities within the chef field relate to areas such as the hospitality sector, small and medium business owners, the accommodation sector, restaurant sector, and the travel and tourism sector. In addition, the chef field is considered as a labour-intensive sector with a supply chain that links to various business sectors and has been earmarked as part of the government's planning and policy framework. This qualification type relates to the nature, purpose, and characteristics of the chef field. The Advanced Diploma Hospitality and Professional Cookery will encourage learners to integrate theory and applied management competencies, to contribute effectively to the back of house, chef support sectors and stakeholders. Furthermore, the qualification aims to contribute to the full personal development of each learner as a productive member of society and provide a platform to further their learning and career paths within the broader hospitality industry. This qualification is designed to prepare learners for further postgraduate study through understanding theories, methodologies, and practices, specifically that of the tourism industry, as well as the development of their ability to formulate, undertake and resolve more complex theoretical and practice-related challenges through the selection and utilisation of appropriate teaching and learning methods. The Professional Cookery qualification resorts under SETH (School of Sport, Events, Tourism and Hospitality) with other related qualifications and two NRF (National Research Fund) rated researchers. CETRA (Centre for Tourism Research in Africa) is part of SETH and facilitates research activities in the tourism, gastronomy, beverage, hospitality, sport and event management disciplines. Furthermore, CETRA joins all researchers, lecturers, and practitioners, together to foster research and tourism development globally. The advancement and complexity in terms of knowledge are reflected in the five subjects of: Hospitality Management 4, Environmental Risk Management and Advanced Hospitality Research and the field-specific subject of Professional Cookery Operations 4 and Professional Gastronomy 4. The design of this qualification will also accommodate articulation possibilities for learners with a variety of management background...
Continued due to character limit.
Outcomes
- Demonstrate competence and apply knowledge and understanding of research skills relevant to the hospitality/professional cookery field.
- Develop and demonstrate the knowledge and skills of the marketing instruments and expand practical knowledge of marketing research to enable the marketing strategy to be learned and understood to be used in the hospitality/professional cookery industry.
- Identify and apply environmental laws and regulations to ensure sound environmental practices relating to chemical usage, supplier compliance, water, waste and electricity.
- Develop, apply and evaluate theoretical and practical components of product development through a research project. Content will include aspects of product development from developing the idea, developing of product, product testing and product marketing including consumer testing.
- Investigate the advanced contemporary context of gastronomy by exploring the development of gastronomy and its application to food tourism in the 21st century through project and problem base learning, particularly in the areas of nutrition, food security, community development, and environmental sustainability to gain a holistic view of the impact of food, food science, and nutrition globally.
- Cultivate research orientated approach in attaining information and solving theoretical and practical problems within the field of professional cookery and act in a professional, ethical and accountable manner within in the hospitality/professional cookery industry.
Assessment Criteria
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
- Contextualise and interpret integrated knowledge of the main areas of hospitality/professional cookery management, including an understanding to apply and evaluate the key terms, concepts, facts, principles, rules and theories of Hospitality/professional cookery through the scope of knowledge.
- Identify, analyse, critically reflect on and address complex problems, apply evidence-based solutions and theory-driven arguments.
- Demonstrate research skills relevant in the hospitality/professional cookery field of practice or profession following legitimate research design.
- Develop and communicate one's own ideas and opinions in well-formed arguments, using appropriate academic, professional or occupational discourse.
- Take decisions and act ethically and professionally and justify these decisions and actions drawing on appropriate ethical values and approaches with a supported environment.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
- Understand and demonstrate business strategy in the context of a hospitality/professional cookery business.
- Construct a review of literature in the form of journal articles of the five stages of a strategy to demonstrate a wider learning and value of strategy as it pertains to a hospitality/professional cookery business.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the content of an environmental scan as it applies to the hospitality/professional cookery industry and environments and demonstrates the expertise of the analysis of the information using the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) or Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations and Results (SOAR) models.
- Develop direction for a hospitality/professional cookery business by showing the understanding of the construction of a mission with the associated values, beliefs, and ethos of a hospitality/professional cookery business.
- Demonstrate the ability to formulate a hospitality/professional cookery business strategy and objectives with the necessary action plans to achieve the strategy and objectives set.
- Demonstrate the implementation process using leadership and management skills to motivate teams to perform to achieve the strategy and objectives in a hospitality/professional cookery business.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of e-commerce and social media marketing.
- Demonstrate how to use marketing research to improve hospitality/professional cookery marketing strategic decisions.
- Identify and describe consumer behaviour pattern to assist with hospitality/professional cookery strategic decisions.
- Explain the segmentation process and analyses of the segment(s) to assist with strategic decisions in a hospitality/professional cookery business.
- Understand the use of the market instruments to develop hospitality/professional cookery marketing strategy.
- Demonstrate how the changes in the product/service life cycle of hospitality/professional cookery products/services will impact the hospitality/professional cookery marketing strategy.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3:
- Understand the importance and the application of an environmental audit in a hospitality/professional cookery environment.
- Investigate industry environmental policies and design and set up your own environmental policy in a hospitality/professional cookery industry environment.
- Analyse in-depth the interventions hospitality/professional cookery industry environments have put in place relating to environmentally conscious technological installations, construction methods, Procurement and Operational practices relating to chemical usage, water, waste and energy.
- Design an eco-friendly restaurant/kitchen/hotel in conjunction with environmental specialist consultants.
- Understand all safety and security standards, relating to greening that must be applied in a hospitality/professional cookery industry environment which will ensure compliance with legislation.
- Evaluate the financial implications that greening has on the bottom line.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4:
- Identify, discuss and apply all research methodology aspects within a specified research project.
- Identify aspects and flow of product development from a theoretical perspective.
- Design and develop a specific product relevant to the food and hospitality/professional cookery industry through the application of product development models.
- Review relevant information and case studies pertinent to specific product development procedures.
- Interpret information and success rate of the developed product and consider marketing instruments.
- Evaluate and summarise information relating to the developed product.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5:
- Design and develop a written research project culminating in an oral presentation of complex ideas and arguments in scholarly and professional contexts of gastronomy.
- Ensure that the student integrates their learning experiences into a coherent, focused project that effectively blends theory and practice.
- Promote collaborative learning, build mutual understanding and a greater breadth of perspectives on the topics and issues the students are investigating, as well as to improve their problem-solving and presentation skills with the gastronomy context.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the research process considering the range of research methodologies applied within the discipline professional cookery.
- Generate a research problem statement and background, research question(s), aim(s) and/or objective(s) deliberating the relevance, scope, feasibility, etc. for the provided research.
- Critically reflect on the information gathering, data management and assimilation processes of constructed research tools in the disciplinary field.
- Present an apt research design and methodology for an investigation to resolve a concern and/or issue in consumer science in food and nutrition considering the range of methods of inquiry applied in the disciplinary field.
- Conceptualise gathered data/findings in the disciplinary field to present fitting conclusions and recommendations for the gathered information on the research problem.
Integrated Assessment:
A system of integrated, continuous assessment is used. A learner's academic progress and performance is evaluated by regular assessment opportunities, both formative and summative, with a final summative assessment. There is an appropriate balance between formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments e.g. class discussions, presentations, self-reflection paragraphs, take place during the process of teaching and learning. The purpose of formative assessment is the development of learners' abilities and enables them to monitor their own progress. Summative assessment is formalised assessment e.g. individual/group projects which are used to indicate whether the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification have been reached. The emphasis is on integrated assessments and learners need to demonstrate by means of a project/s the integration of their food and beverage knowledge in e.g. the development of projects and assignments. The qualification will be awarded to a learner who has provided evidence to the satisfaction of the assessors that the stated Exit Level Outcomes have been achieved. All assessments integrate knowledge, skills, attitudes, abilities and applied competence that link to subject outcomes. Where possible, assignments linked to subjects will be merged to integrate subject assessments into one project.
Qualification Details
- Type
- Advanced Diploma
- NQF Level
- 07
- Min. Credits
- 120
- SAQA Source
- More Information
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