Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management is a two-year qualification for people who want to run food and beverage operations, front office, or events. You learn how hospitality businesses actually work: rostering and labour cost control, stock and purchasing, food safety and hygiene, responsible service of alcohol, customer service recovery, and the financial reports a venue manager reads each week. Assessment is practical as well as written, so you spend time in training kitchens, simulated service areas and on placement in hotels, restaurants, clubs or event venues.

Australian diplomas sit at Level 5 on the Australian Qualifications Framework. They are usually delivered over four semesters, or trimesters at some providers, and each unit carries credit points. Providers publish the exact unit list and credit-point value for each unit, so check the official course page. The diploma often includes a work placement unit, because hospitality employers expect you to have stood through a real service period before they hire you. Some students use the diploma as a pathway into a bachelor degree with credit for the units they have completed.

You graduate able to write a roster that meets a wage budget, cost a menu, handle a complaint without losing the customer, and lead a small team through a busy Friday night. Those skills transfer across hotels, pubs, restaurants, aged-care catering, airline catering and event companies.

The diploma suits school leavers who want a practical start, career changers moving into hospitality, and international students who want an Australian qualification with a work component. International students 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. English entry for international applicants is usually IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic and Cambridge C1 Advanced accepted as equivalents. The Student visa has its own English requirement set by the Department of Home Affairs. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register under course code 114189A, confirm fees, intakes and unit details on the official page.

• Duty manager or shift supervisor, hotels, pubs, clubs, restaurants and resorts across Australia.
• Food and beverage supervisor, hotel restaurants, conference centres, stadiums, airlines and catering companies.
• Front office supervisor, hotels, motels and serviced apartments.
• Events and functions coordinator, venues, councils, wedding and conference organisers.
• Restaurant or café manager, independent venues and hospitality groups.
• Banquet or catering operations coordinator, contract caterers, aged-care and hospital catering.