Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management at AVETA is a one-and-a-half-year qualification for people who want to run the floor, not just work it. You learn how hospitality businesses actually operate: rostering and labour cost, stock control and ordering, food safety and hygiene, budgeting, marketing, and the legal side of serving alcohol and managing staff. Front-of-house service, bar and restaurant operations, and accommodation management all come into it. The course is delivered under the Australian Vocational Education and Training system, so it is built around units of competency rather than academic subjects. Each unit is assessed on whether you can do the task to industry standard, which is why so much of the assessment is practical.

Vocational qualifications sit at level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree and above a Certificate IV. A diploma at this level normally runs 12 to 18 months full time, and AVETA's is 1.5 years. Expect a mix of classroom delivery, simulated service environments and a work placement in a hotel, restaurant, club or events venue, because hospitality is a field where you cannot learn the job from a textbook. Assessment is competency-based: you either demonstrate the skill or you do not. Many students stack this diploma into a bachelor degree later with credit for the units they have completed.

What you take away is practical. You should finish able to write a roster that meets a wage budget, cost a menu, handle a food safety inspection, deal with a difficult customer without escalating it, and supervise a team of casual staff who may be younger than you. You also pick up the compliance knowledge that Australian venues live or die by: responsible service of alcohol, work health and safety, and fair work obligations. Those are the things employers ask about in interviews.

This suits school leavers who want a hands-on start rather than a three-year degree, career changers moving into hotels and restaurants, and international students who want an Australian qualification in a field that hires continuously. International students can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying, and graduates may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream. Check the CRICOS register and AVETA's official page for current fees, intake dates and English requirements.

• Duty manager or shift supervisor in hotels, pubs, clubs and restaurants
• Food and beverage supervisor in hotels, resorts and function centres
• Restaurant or café manager in independent and chain venues
• Front office supervisor in accommodation hotels and serviced apartments
• Events and functions coordinator in venues, clubs and conference centres
• Housekeeping supervisor in hotels and resorts
• Bar or gaming supervisor in licensed clubs and pubs

Hospitality is one of Australia's largest employing industries, with steady demand across metropolitan and regional areas, in tourism regions, and in the accommodation and food services sector generally.