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Course Description

The hospitality and catering sector includes all businesses that provide food, beverages, and/or accommodation services. This includes restaurants, hotels, pubs and bars. It also includes airlines, tourist attractions, hospitals and sports venues; businesses where hospitality and catering is not their primary service but is increasingly important to their success. According to the British Hospitality Association, hospitality and catering is Britain’s fourth largest industry and accounts for around 10% of the total workforce. Since 2010, over 25% of all new jobs have been within the hospitality and catering sector with the majority of new roles falling within the 18-24 age group, according to a report by People 1st.

The Eduqas Level 1/2 Vocational Award in Hospitality and Catering has been designed to support learners in schools and colleges who want to learn about this vocational sector and the potential it can offer them for their careers or further study. It is most suitable as a foundation for further study. This further study would provide learners with the opportunity to develop a range of specialist and general skills that would support their progression to employment. Employment in hospitality and catering can range from waiting staff, receptionists and catering assistants to chefs, hotel and bar managers and food technologists in food manufacturing. All of these roles require further education and training either through apprenticeships or further and higher education.

How will I be assessed?

The course is made up of two mandatory units: 

  • Unit 1: The Hospitality and Catering Industry will be externally assessed (1 hour 20 minutes, 80 marks). This is worth 40% of the qualification. Questions requiring short and extended answers, based around applied situations. Learners will be required to use stimulus material to respond to questions.
  • Unit 2: Hospitality and Catering in Action is internally assessed (12 hours, 120 marks). This is worth 60% of the qualification. An assignment brief will be provided by WJEC which will include a scenario and several tasks. This is a synoptic unit which draws on knowledge and understanding from unit 1.

What will I learn?

Unit

Content

Unit 1: The hospitality and catering industry

Hospitality and catering provision 

  • Hospitality and catering providers
  • Working in the hospitality and catering industry
  • Working conditions in the hospitality and catering industry
  • Contributing factors to the success of hospitality and catering provision

How hospitality and catering provisions operate

  • The operation of the front and back of house
  • Customer requirements in hospitality and catering
  • Hospitality and catering provision to meet specific requirements

Health and safety in hospitality and catering

  • Health and safety in hospitality and catering provision 
  • Food Safety

Food safety in hospitality and catering 

  • Food related causes of ill health
  • Symptoms and signs of food-induced ill health
  • Preventative control measures of food-induced ill health 
  • The Environmental Health Officer (EHO)

Unit 2: Hospitality and catering in action

The importance of nutrition 

  • Understanding the importance of nutrition
  • How cooking methods can impact on nutritional value

Menu planning

  • Factors affecting menu planning
  • How to plan production

The skills and techniques of preparation, cooking and presentation of dishes 

  • How to prepare and make dishes 
  • Presentation techniques
  • Food safety practices

Evaluating cooking skills 

  • Reviewing of dishes
  • Reviewing own performance

What could I do next?

Successful completion of this qualification could support entry to qualifications that develop specific skills for work in hospitality and catering such as: professional food and beverage service skills, professional cookery food, science and nutrition food, and preparation and cookery supervision.