Professional Cookery: Diploma in Catering Level 1

While many businesses throughout the economy have faced tough times, the hospitality industry has once again bucked this trend. The hospitality sector employs seven per cent of the working population. Including replacement demand, an additional 660,200 people will need to be recruited by 2020 People 1st State of the Nation 2013. Gloucestershire College is the main provider of hospitality, catering and chef training in the county and has a long, successful track record, with students going on to develop careers with a wide range of establishments. You may initially think about working in a hotel or restaurant (our students have gone on to work and own Michelin starred restaurants) but remember there are also lots of opportunities in company catering, hospitals and care homes, schools, sporting events or anywhere where people need to be fed! You may work in diverse roles such as; food and beverage manager, chef, waiting staff, conference and banqueting manager, crew member and housekeeper. A catering qualification is a great passport to working all over the world in an exciting and dynamic industry. You will gain industry experience by having the opportunity to work in our commercially run restaurants and catering outlets using our well-equipped professional kitchens and being taught by our skilled and motivated industry experienced team. This course is aimed at students who want to make a career in the catering and hospitality industry. The Diploma in Introduction to Professional Cookery will give you a good grounding in the fundamentals of professional cookery. The Certificate in Professional Food and Beverage Service will enable you to work front of house, taking guests’ orders and serving them food and beverages. You will also gain the Level 2 Award in Food Safety in Catering. You will have 1:1 tutorials, advice and guidance, and for most students a period of work experience at Cheltenham National Hunt Festival in March. If you have completed all your work on time you can expect to spend the last 2 weeks of the course having work experience at an employer near to your home. All courses have assessment during the course which will include practical and theoretical tests. You will need to pass each of these in order to progress onto the next stage of the programme. All courses require you to have full Chefs uniform, which you keep clean and ironed. We recommend that all Level 1 students own a set of knives, and this is mandatory for level 2 and 3.

All students will be expected to arrive in practical classes in clean and ironed chefs uniforms.

All learners will need to attend an interview with a member of the academic team where they will undertake an initial assessment. A good report from school and at least 4 GCSE's grade A* - D are needed. We are looking for enthusiastic and motivated students.

Most of the students who pass this course progress to the Professional Diploma in Catering L2, others move into employment or to a Catering Apprenticeship