Professional Development Course for the Hospitality and Tourism Industries.

The Specialist Award is made up of three modules and a work place project.

The three modules are:

Hotel Management

This course has 9 lessons:

1. Introduction: Scope and Nature of Hotel Management

2. Organisation of the Hotel Workplace

3. Staff Management in Hotels

4. Control Systems

5. Front Desk Management (Reception)

6. Servicing Rooms & General Cleaning

7. Building & Facility Maintenance

8. Activities Management: tour desk, gymnasium, events (weddings, balls etc)

9. Food Service

Food and Beverage Management

This subject has 9 lessons:

1. Human Nutrition

2. Cooking

3. Kitchen & Food Management

4. Planning A Menu

5. Alcoholic Beverages

6. Tea, Coffee and Non-Alcoholic Beverages

7. Scope & Nature Of Catering Services

8. Personnel Management (waiting skills, staffing a restaurant, kitchen etc)

9. Management Of Catering Services

Ecotour Management

The course is divided into nine lessons as follows:

1. Nature and Scope of Ecotourism - Definition of ecotourism; negative ecotourism; principles of ecotourism.

2. Management Issues - Recreation and the environment; recreational impacts on the environment; ethical and legal concerns; code of practice for ecotourism operators; incorporating ecotourism principles into activities; interpretation; visitor guidelines; planning for minimal impact; quality control.

3. Industry Destinations - The ecotourism market; what do ecotourists want?; trends in international tourism; understanding the needs of the consumer; consumer expectations.

4. The Tour Desk/Office - Office procedures; providing information; employment prospects in ecotourism; bookings, business letters; telephone manner.

5. Accommodation Facilities - Types of accommodation facilities; layout of facilities.

6. Catering Facilities - Introduction to catering; accepted practice for service facilities; storing and preserving food.

7. Legal Considerations - National Parks; land use/planning restrictions; code of practice.

8. Safety- The safety strategy; hazards; first aid.

9. Planning an Ecotourism Activity - A special project where the student plans out an ecotourism activity including budget, accommodation, licenses, meals and the destination.

INDUSTRY PROJECT OR WORK EXPERIENCE

This is the final requirement that you must satisfy before receiving your award.

There are two options available to you to satisfy this requirement:

Alternative 1.

If you work in the industry that you have been studying; you may submit a reference from your employer, in an effort to satisfy this industry (ie. workplace project) requirement; on the basis of RPL (ie. recognition for prior learning), achieved through your current and past work experience.

The reference must indicate that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Alternative 2.

If you do not work in the relevant industry, there are lots of other options for completing this requirement, able to be undertaken from anywhere in the world.

Introducing our School

ACS was established in 1979 by John Mason, who at the time was lecturing for various colleges (TAFE, Higher Education, University) Community Centers and Council of Adult Education in Australia.

High standards were adopted from the start; for example:

• Tutors hold a 3 year, full time post secondary qualification (outside education)
• Tutors have 5 years relevant experience
• Courses (modules or short courses) are 100 hours duration
• Certificates are generally 600 hours

By adhering to standards ACS has built sound credentials and is regarded and recognized highly by academics and industry professionals globally.

Our philosophy is relatively simple, but not always common in education today:

We believe education should aim to improve a student’s capacity to understand and develop in their chosen field of study; and that a course is a starting point that lays a foundation for future development. We believe quality education requires real life interaction between the teacher and student; and restricting access to tutors can devalue the quality of a course. Education is not just about information (any book or web site can provide that). Good education is a carefully contrived and delivered learning experience that changes the student, improving their ability to function within the discipline they study.

Graduates from ACS have been successful in all types of vocational situations, winning jobs and developing careers in academic positions, through to small business and trades.

We welcome the opportunity to talk (or communicate via email) with any prospective student before they enroll with us. Let us help you make the best choice of course. There are many well established facts regarding education which people often discover when it is too late, for example:

• Over 60% of people do not end up working in the field they studied (even university degree graduates)
• Most people who commence courses (college, polytechnic, TAFE, university) never complete them.
• While some people can earn big money in “some” professions, a qualification is rarely a guarantee for big earnings.
• Being successful in business requires a certain personality type as well as other things
• Most accredited courses take years to develop and approve –which in today’s fast paced world often means they are out of date before you graduate.