INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE

The Diploma in a Catering and Accommodation Management course is deigned to equip the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitude that will enable him/her to perform managerial duties in a catering and accommodation establishment.

The course is designed in modular form where the trainee can enter and leave for the world of work at the end of each module.  There are three modules.  Each module prepares the trainee to perform a particular task, whose total value is combined to produce the required graduate at the end of the third module (Module III).

The trainee leaving module I is equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to prepare, produce and serve meals as well as carry out accommodation operations in a catering and accommodation establishment.

 Module II equips the trainee with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary for performing supervisory duties in a food and beverage production, sales and service and in catering and accommodation establishment. 

 Module III is designed to equip the trainee with knowledge, skills and attitudes required by for managerial duties in a catering and accommodation establishment.

 Module II and III has two elective module units, Food and Beverage Production Management and Food and Beverage Sales and Service Management. A trainee is required to choose one of the two elective module units at Module II and take the other at module III. The two module units cannot be taken simultaneously.

 One will have to complete all the three modules to be awarded The Diploma in Catering and Accommodation Management

Course Description 

General Objectives of the Course

At the end of this course, the trainee should be able to:

a)       Develop and produce different types of foods and beverage  to the required standards of catering and accommodation establishment

b)       Develop management  skills to manage a catering and accommodation establishment

c)       Appreciate hygiene and safety principles required in a catering and accommodation  establishment and apply them in his or her day to day work,

d)       Demonstrate ability to use and care for tools and equipment used in the catering and accommodation establishment

e)       Appreciate the role of food science and nutrition in the catering industry,

f)        Ensure good maintenance of premises and equipment,

g)       Appreciate the value of cost control in order to minimize cost and maximize profit,

h)       Appreciate the need for good of cost communication skills and the impact of information and communication technology in a catering and accommodation establishment

i)        Apply entrepreneurship, marketing and management skills to start and run a catering and accommodation business

General Regulations

Approval of the Training Institutions

Institutions offering this course should be recognized and approved by the Ministry responsible for Training.

Duration of the Course

The course is designed to have 2970 hours.  2310 hours will be spent in the institution while 660 hours will be used for industrial attachment.  The course is structured in three Modules as outlined below

 Entry requirements

Trainees entering this course should have any of the following minimum              Requirements:

a)       Passed relevant Craft Course 

                        OR

b)       Passed Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) with an average grade of C (C plain)

                        OR

c)       Equivalent qualifications as determined by Kenya National Examinations Council.

Examinable units

All module units are examinable. The examination (paper) may constitute of one or more than one units as guided below.  

External Examinations

Module 1

 Theory Examinations                                                           

1.     Food and Beverage Production with Food Science and nutrition       

2.  Food and Beverage Service and Sales and First Aid                          

3. Housekeeping, Front office, Laundry and Home Nursing, Catering and accommodation premises                                

4.       Catering and accommodation control I, Mathematics                         

5.       Information communication Technology, Communication Skills      

6.       Entrepreneurship                                                                                  

Practical examinations                                              

7.       Food and Beverage Production , Service and Sales                

8.       Housekeeping and Laundry operations                                               

Module II   

            Theory Examinations

1.       Food and beverage production management

OR 

2.       Food and beverage Sales and Service Management

3.       Diet therapy     

4.       Accommodation operations management I, Law related to hospitality 

5.       Catering and accommodation control II                      

6.       Hospitality accounting                                                                         

7.     Business plan                                                                                                                                               

Practical Examinations 

1.       Food and beverage production Management  

            OR                               

2.       Food and beverage Sales and Service Management

3.       Accommodation operations management                                           

Module III     

 Theory Examinations                                                        

1.       Food and beverage sales and service management 

                        OR 

2.       Food and beverage production Management                                      

3.       Accommodation operations management II                                        

4.       Principles and practices of management, Human relations     

5.       Sales and marketing

6.       Research project                                                                         Practical Examinations                

1.       Food and beverage production Management                                      

                        OR                               

2.       Food and beverage Sales and Service Management                          

3.       Accommodation operations management                                      

Attendance and course work requirements

The candidates are expected to be attending an institution approved for the courses for the theoretical and practical studies.

 Coursework marks

Continuous assessment marks for course work must be kept by the institution and details must be submitted to the Kenya National Examinations Council in respect of each candidate entered for the examinations at least two weeks before the external examinations are taken.

Coursework Assessment

Continuous assessment will be given a weighting of 30% and the external examinations by KNEC will be given a weighting of 70% in the determination of the final grade.

 Compulsory Industrial Attachment/Internship for Trainees

Before the end of the course, every trainee shall undergo an industrial attachment/internship of 660 hours.  Industrial attachment shall be an integral part of training and its assessment shall form part of the final grade and certification.

The training institutions in collaboration with the organisation where the trainee is attached shall supervise the trainee during the Industrial Attachment.  The examining body shall provide the modalities of industrial attachment assessment. 

 Project Work

Project work encompass of both Business plan and Research Methods

i)  Business Plan

The business plan comprise of business-related research aimed at generating a comprehensive business proposal in the field of catering and accommodation management and other related industries. The business plan is aimed at inculcating entrepreneurial culture in the trainees, which should result in the development of income generating projects and business incubators leading to increased self-employment opportunities in view of vision 2030. KNEC or other legal body and the training institutions shall determine the management and assessment methods. 

ii)  Research Methods

A research method project means a research carried out by an individual trainee or maximum of two (2) where circumstances dictate. The research should be problem solving with industrial orientation. It may be evaluative and descriptive or research-based project. The research must have well defined objectives and designed to exhibit creativeness and innovativeness. KNEC or other legal body and the training institutions shall determine the management and the assessment methods of the project.

 Examinations and Award of Certificates

 Assessment

The assessment of all the modules shall be competency based.

 Internal Examinations

The training institutions will conduct course work and/or project work assessments based on the competences acquired during the training.   The institutions will offer internal examinations at the end of each module and keep these records to determine the final grade by the end of the course. The course work or project work and/or assessments shall also be used during the re-entry to the course or for the award of credit transfer. 

  External Examinations

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) will offer external examinations to trainees in all modules covered during the training.  

Eligibility for Candidates Entering Into External Examinations

Candidates for external examinations must at the time of entry to the examinations, have successfully completed the required competencies in each course modules. 

 Coursework/continuous Assessment 

Coursework/continuous Assessment will be prepared and marked by the institutions.

The institutions will issue statement of results while the examining body will award a certificate after completion of the relevant modules.

 Examination Results

In order to qualify for the award of the Diploma, the candidate must pass all the modules of the course. Results of the examination as a whole will be issued in five classes and for the individual papers will be in eight grades. Each candidate will receive all records of performance, giving the result in terms of class and grade.

The relationship between classes and grades is:

-          Pass with distinction Grade 1 and 2

-          Pass with credit                     Grade 3 and 4

-          Pass                             Grade 5 and 6

-          Referred                                 Grade 7

-          Fail                             Grade 8

 Candidates, who fail any paper (module unit) in a particular module, will be REFERRED in the failed paper and will be allowed to re-sit three (3) times and pass within a period of five (5) years after the date of the first sitting.  Thereafter the candidate will be discontinued from further re-sitting the paper(s).

 Award of Certificate

The KNEC will issue the candidates with result slips for Modules passed and a final certificate in Diploma in Catering and Accommodation Management

 General Examination Regulation 

In the event of any inconsistency arising between the regulations as set out in this syllabus and the General Regulations published by the examining body, the General Regulations of the KNEC shall prevail. Candidates do not have to take all the papers of a module at the same sitting.