Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning)

The Graduate Diploma of Management (Learning) at King's School of Culinary Arts is a two-year course for people who want to lead learning inside organisations. It sits at graduate diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, one step below a master's degree. You study how adults learn, how to design and assess training, how to manage a registered training organisation or a learning function, and how to use data to judge whether training is actually working. Because the school specialises in culinary arts, the examples and projects lean towards hospitality and commercial cookery settings, kitchens, food businesses, training restaurants, though the management and learning skills carry across to any industry that runs its own training.

How the course is structured

Australian graduate diplomas are usually made up of units of study, each worth a set number of credit points. You accumulate credit points across semesters or trimesters until you meet the total for the award. Expect a mix of core units in learning theory, instructional design, assessment, compliance and organisational management, plus electives you can choose to match your career direction. Many graduate diplomas include a capstone unit or project where you pull the whole course together, often by designing a training programme or reviewing a real organisation's learning strategy. Work-integrated learning is common in this field: placements or projects with training providers, hospitality groups or registered training organisations, where you work alongside experienced trainers and assessors. Confirm the exact unit list, credit points and placement requirements on the official CRICOS page and with the school before you apply.

What you learn

You graduate able to analyse what skills a workforce needs, design training that meets those needs, assess learners fairly, and report on outcomes to managers and regulators. You also pick up the administrative side: keeping records, meeting compliance obligations, managing trainers, and budgeting for learning programmes. Group work and written assignments are typical, and you will be expected to read, research and present. The course assumes you already have some study or work experience behind you, that is what makes it a graduate diploma rather than a bachelor's.

Who it suits

This course fits people who already work in training, hospitality, HR or operations and want a formal qualification to move into a learning and development manager, training coordinator or RTO manager role. It also suits graduates from other fields who want to switch into corporate or vocational training. If you are an international student, you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, and you may be eligible for the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream after you finish, check the Department of Home Affairs for current rules. English requirements are published by the school; IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the common coursework-postgraduate standard, and equivalent TOEFL, PTE or Cambridge results are accepted. The Student visa has its own separate English threshold. Tuition is listed on the CRICOS register, check there and on the school's official page for the current figure, intake dates and how to apply.

• Learning and development manager, designing and running training programmes in hospitality groups, hotels, food manufacturers and large employers.
• Training coordinator or training manager, organising schedules, trainers and records for an organisation's internal training.
• Registered training organisation (RTO) manager or compliance officer, keeping an RTO's courses, assessments and paperwork up to standard.
• Vocational education trainer and assessor, teaching and assessing students in cookery, hospitality or business qualifications.
• Instructional designer, building course materials and assessments for online and face-to-face delivery.
• HR or people development adviser, linking training to performance, recruitment and workforce planning.
• Curriculum developer, writing and reviewing course content for training providers and industry bodies.
• Hospitality operations manager with a training focus, running a venue or department while overseeing staff development.

Australian employers in hospitality, vocational education, health, retail and government all hire people with this qualification. The culinary focus of the school means graduates often stay close to food and hospitality, but the skills transfer to any organisation that trains its own staff.