Diploma of Hospitality Management

The Diploma of Hospitality Management is a practical, one-and-a-half-year qualification for people who want to work in hotels, restaurants, event venues, clubs or resorts, and who want to move into supervisory or management roles rather than stay on the floor. It sits at the diploma level on the Australian Qualifications Framework, which means it's a step above a certificate III or IV trade qualification but below a bachelor degree. You'll spend most of your time learning how a hospitality business actually runs: rostering staff, costing menus, managing stock and suppliers, handling customer complaints, meeting food safety and liquor licensing rules, and reading the numbers well enough to know whether a venue is making money.

How the course is structured

Australian diplomas are built from units of competency, each carrying a set number of credit points. At Perth College of Business and Technology, the course runs over three or four study periods depending on the intake, with a mix of classroom delivery, kitchen or service-based practical sessions, and assessment tasks that mirror real workplace situations. Some units are core, food and beverage management, accommodation operations, financial performance, leadership and team effectiveness, work health and safety, and legal compliance for licensed venues. Others let you specialise, for example in event coordination, gaming, or front office. Because this is a vocational qualification, assessment is competency-based: you either demonstrate the skill or you don't, and you may be asked to repeat a unit until you do.

Work-integrated learning and industry links

Hospitality is one of the fields where you genuinely learn by doing, so the diploma includes a work placement or industry-based component. Perth College of Business and Technology arranges placements with hotels, restaurants, catering companies and event operators around Perth. That placement isn't a box-ticking exercise, it's how you build the referee list and local experience that Australian employers ask for. Perth's hospitality sector runs on tourism, business travel, mining-sector hospitality, and a steady events calendar, so there are real venues to train in. Many students pick up casual paid work in the same venues alongside their study.

Who it suits, and what you need

This course suits school leavers who want a fast route into hospitality management without committing to a three-year degree, career changers moving from retail or customer service, and international students who want an Australian qualification with a practical edge. You'll need to meet the English requirement, for this level, IELTS Academic 6.0–6.5 overall is the usual benchmark, with TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and the college's own English programmes accepted as equivalents. The Department of Home Affairs sets a separate English threshold for the Student visa itself, so check both. On a Student visa you can work up to 48 hours per fortnight while your course is in session, which is useful in a field where casual shifts are the norm. After graduating, the Temporary Graduate visa (subclass 485) post-study work stream may be available depending on your circumstances. Tuition is published on the CRICOS register, confirm the current amount, intake dates and unit list on the official page before you apply.

• Duty manager or shift supervisor, hotels, pubs, clubs and restaurants across Australia
• Food and beverage supervisor, restaurants, function centres, catering companies
• Front office supervisor, hotels, motels and serviced apartments
• Events coordinator, conference venues, wedding venues, corporate event companies
• Restaurant or café manager, independent venues and hospitality groups
• Housekeeping supervisor, hotels and resorts
• Banquet or functions coordinator, clubs, RSLs, hotels
• Bar or gaming supervisor, licensed clubs and pubs (subject to state licensing requirements)

Australian employers in these roles include hotel groups, restaurant chains, catering and event businesses, registered clubs, tourism operators and aged-care or hospital catering services. The diploma also gives you credit toward further study, many graduates continue into a bachelor degree in hospitality, tourism or business management, often with credit for units already completed.