New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Level 3)

Learn the essentials of café and restaurant service from preparing and serving food and beverages, to deliver outstanding customer service and industry-standard health and safety practices.

Get hands-on experience catering real events, and learners at UCOL Palmerston North campus will enjoy the bonus of working in our on-campus training restaurants - a true taste of the industry.

Our industry-experienced tutors will guide you as you build confidence and perfect your customer service skills to become a valued member of any hospitality team. 

This programme runs for 19 weeks, including 2 holiday weeks.

Per week, your learning will include approximately:

Class Time

14 hrs

Lectures, tutorials and/or online recordings, cookery practicals, timetable set by your lecturer.

Study Time

17 hrs

Study in your own time.

Industry Experience

4hrs

Work integrated learning.

This programme comprises 60 credits.

Food and Beverage Core Skills (20 Credits)

To establish standards of professional practice for basic service in hospitality food and beverage establishments.

• Describe and apply health and safety, food safety and security practices to minimise hazards and to ensure self and customer safety in service.

• Follow standard operating procedures and deal with common problems in a food and beverage environment.

• Communicate effectively when serving customers and others in the hospitality industry and demonstrate appropriate whanaungatanga and manaakitanga in your professional service behaviours.
  

Indicative Content

• Hazards in the workplace

• Food safety

• Security practices

• Health and safety

• Host responsibility

• Deal with familiar problems – e.g., complaint handling within authority, outside authority, accounts and payments, work area preparations, time management, personal presentation

• Customer service strategies

• Sales techniques

• Professional behaviour
  

Barista Service (20 Credits)

To provide learners with an opportunity to develop basic skills required to deliver beverage service as a barista.

• Follow standard operating procedures as a barista

• Provide espresso beverage service as a barista

• Maintain service areas as a barista
  

Indicative Content

• Follow standard operating procedures to prepare equipment and ingredients for espresso beverage service

• Maintain health and safety requirements

• Present a range of espresso/café beverages for service

• Effective communication skills when serving beverages to a customer

• Extraction of espresso

• Correct milk texturing for correct beverage

• Over/under dosing /extraction

• Quality and taste problems

• Equipment issues

Restaurant Service (20 Credits)

To provide learners with an opportunity to develop basic skills required to deliver food and beverage service in a restaurant.

• Follow standard operating procedures in a restaurant environment

• Serve food and beverage in a restaurant environment

• Maintain service areas in a restaurant environment

Indicative Content

• Standard operating procedures to prepare equipment and ingredients for restaurant service

• Health and safety requirements, including food safety and alcohol service

• Sustainability in a restaurant

• Product knowledge of hot and cold beverages and food

• Order processing, including accuracy,standard operating procedures and customer requests

• Set up, break down and maintenance of equipment and restaurant dining areas

• Professional presentation to meet industry expectations

Our ākonga learn from professionals and gain practical experience in our on-site training restaurants.

NCEA Level 1 (including 10 Literacy credits and 10 Numeracy credits)

OR

Equivalent academic achievement

OR

On a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Executive Dean.

English language proficiency

If English is not your first language, you must also demonstrate English language skills equivalent to an IELTS overall band score (academic) of 5.0 with no band score less than 5 (or equivalent including TOEFL). IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).

In addition to the Domestic Entry Requirements, the following applies to international learner applicants.

English language proficiency

International learner applicants whose first language is not English must have an IELTS Academic score of 5.0 with no band score lower than 5 (or equivalent including TOEFL). IELTS scores used must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).

Under 20 years of age

In addition to this, international applicants under 20 years of age must have NCEA equivalency.

The programme is approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority under the provisions of the Education and Training Act 2020, and Universal College of Learning is accredited to teach it.

Graduates of the UCOL New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service will be able to:

• Apply health and safety, food safety and security practices

• Communicate confidently with colleagues and customers

• Follow standard operating procedures to deal with familiar problems in a hospitality establishment

Employment opportunities include working in:

• Hotels

• Restaurants

• Cafés

• Bars

• Overseas work

• Or staircase to further study

To find out more about possible job prospects and salaries in the Hospitality industry, see tahatu.govt.nz

Education pathway

Graduates who wish to further specialise can enrol in:

• New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Level 4)

UCOL Hospitality Schools are members of NZ Chefs. We are active participants in Manawatu Hospitality Awards and each campus is well supported by our local industries.

The New Zealand Certificate in Food and Beverage Service (Café Services and Functions Services) (Level 3) comprises 60 credits.

Full attendance is encouraged to maximise learning opportunities and to optimise success for learners.

This programme will require learners to work after hours when studying at the Palmerston North or Whanganui campus.

This programme is an excellent starting point for those wanting to work in restaurants or bars. It is recommended that applicants have met the literacy and numeracy requirements for NCEA Level 1 or equivalent.

Timetable

Your personalised timetable will be available just prior to classes starting and will comprise a weekly commitment of:

• 18 hours of lecturer-supported learning (class time, theory, computer work and real-life experience in the UCOL training restaurant*)

• 17 hours of self-directed learning (your own time spent on practical skill development, theory and computer work to complete your assignments)

*Work in the UCOL training restaurants is dependent on the time of year.

Recognition of prior learning

Applications for Recognition of Prior Learning, including Cross Credit, Credit Transfer and Assessment of Prior Learning, may be made on the Recognition of Prior Learning Form where a student believes all learning outcomes for a course have already been met. Applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the UCOL Academic Statute and other relevant policies and procedures.

Application checklist

It will make the process easier if you prepare the following before you apply:

• National Student Number (NSN) (If you don't have a NSN, you may request one from NZQA, or you can supply a verified copy of your birth certificate, passport or Whakapapa statement.)

• Evidence of your highest level of academic achievement (and evidence of prior learning, if applicable)

• Evidence that you meet the entry requirements of the programme

• Check if you're eligible for additional support or a scholarship. If you're 19 years or younger, you may be eligible to enrol in one of our free Youth Transition programmes.

Note that you will need to provide any verified documents in person, via post or email (not via the online application form).

Please note that there are additional costs associated with the New Zealand Certificate in Food & Beverage Service Level 3 of approximately $210. Costs may vary - if you already own shoes or clothing listed below, then these can be checked by the lecturer to see if they are fit for service.

• Black leather shoes

• Black skirt or pants, and black long-sleeved shirt

• Black bib apron

• Tie