Course - Certificate II in Kitchen Operations

It is a dual accredited course satisfying both TAFE and NESA requirements. It is a Tertiary TAFE course that is held at school. It runs differently to other HSC courses as it is competency based. Kitchen Operations focuses on the cooking and managing of the kitchen side of the Hospitality industry. 

This is a competency‐based course. This means that students work to develop the competencies, skills and knowledge described in each Unit of Competency. To be assessed as competent a student must demonstrate to a qualified assessor that they can effectively carry out the various tasks. There is no mark awarded in competency‐based assessment, students are assessed as either ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’. Students will be progressively assessed as ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’ in individual Units of Competency. When a student achieves a Unit of Competency it is signed off by the assessor. 

They are assessments that are based on the student showing the knowledge and skills required for each unit of study. 

Students work through a series of units both practical and theory based about the Hospitality industry. They are marked as competent or not yet competent based on their performance in the unit. They are given multiple attempts at the assessment tasks to achieve a competent result. Competency tasks can include quizzes, demonstrations, research questions, practical work.

When a student completes all units, they will receive a nationally accredited certificate. If they only successfully complete some of the units, they will receive a statement of attainment listing their completed units. 

For a student to receive their 2 HSC units and ATAR, they must complete the mandatory work placement hours 70 in total – 35 hours per year of study. They also have to complete 12 service periods for the Use Cookery Skills Effectively unit. They will also have to complete the HSC exam. This exam is optional; if they choose not to sit the exam, they will still receive their TAFE certificate and units for HSC just not marks for their ATAR.

To study Kitchen Operations we try and make the conditions as close as possible to real life experiences. We complete all work in the school’s commercial kitchen. The school kitchen in effect becomes a Hospitality workplace and punctuality and a commitment to doing one’s best is essential to this format of study. The practical lessons are 3 hours long, so we start classes before normal school time, students must be able to arrive at school for early morning classes. The students will also have a single theory class which will be held inside the normal timetable.

Work placement is held off site in local café/restaurant which will be arranged for the students. 

This is the entry level course for working in the Hospitality industry; it can open up jobs within the industry and can lead to further TAFE course in Hospitality. They can gain entry into work in either full time or part time/casual basis in Restaurant, coffee shops, cafes. As the course is practical in its nature students learn employability skills along the way – skills that will help them get a job and hold a job in many areas. They learn skills such as communication, punctuality, teamwork, organisation, goal setting etc. In effect the classroom/kitchen becomes a Hospitality workplace and students must turn up to class with a mature attitude ready for “work” each lesson.