Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Advanced Diploma of Hospitality Management is a two-year qualification for people who want to run the show, a restaurant, a hotel department, an events team, a club. You learn how to manage staff, control stock and costs, plan menus, handle licensing and compliance, and deal with the guests who make or break a venue. It's a practical course. You'll spend time in kitchens, bars and front-of-house settings as well as in classrooms, because hospitality is learned by doing.

Australian vocational qualifications are built from units of study, each with a set number of credit points. You enrol in a package of units each semester or trimester, and you need to pass them all to graduate. Assessment is a mix of written tasks, practical service shifts, projects and a work placement where the course includes one. This qualification sits at diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, below a bachelor degree but above a certificate IV. It's common for students to start with a certificate III or IV and ladder up into the advanced diploma, and some then use it as credit towards a degree.

You'll pick up the skills venues actually hire for: rostering and labour cost control, stocktake and ordering, food safety supervision, responsible service of alcohol, handling complaints, and leading a team through a busy Friday night. You'll also learn the business side, budgets, marketing, legal obligations under state liquor and gaming laws, and how to write a business plan for a new venue. The course suits people already working in hospitality who want a management role, career changers who like the industry, and international students who want a qualification they can use in Australia or back home.

Confirm the exact units, placement hours, intake dates and tuition on the official CRICOS register and the provider's page. International students on a Student visa can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while studying, and may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after completing the course, depending on the stream and requirements in place at the time.

• Restaurant or cafe manager
• Hotel duty manager or front office supervisor
• Food and beverage manager
• Events or functions coordinator
• Bar or gaming venue supervisor
• Kitchen manager or head of department in a commercial kitchen
• Club operations manager
• Catering manager

These roles are found across Australia's hotels, resorts, pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, catering companies, event venues, aged care and hospital food services, and tourism operators. The industry is one of the country's largest employers, and managers with formal qualifications are in steady demand in cities and regional areas alike.