TRAINING
The College trains predominantly black women from Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries between the ages of 25 and 35 in:
- Accommodation Operations and Management
- Culinary Art
- Food and Beverage Operations
- Management, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
The 11 month course was developed in collaboration with the School for Tourism, Hospitality and Sport of the Central University of Technology, one of South Africa's premier hotel schools.
The course is divided into nine modules including, among others Business and Financial Management skills for guest house managers, IT and Communication skills, Facilities Management skills including interior decorating and gardening, the Provision of Food and Beverage services in guest houses including conferencing and banqueting, Practising Basic Culinary Art, Front Office or Reception Management skills including point of sales training, housekeeping skills, and highlighting the link between tourism and the guesthouse sector.
The College is accredited by the Tourism Hospitality Training and Education Authority (THETA), at statutory body, responsible for ensuring that high standards are maintained in training and education within the South African tourism sector. The SACT enjoys Full Accreditation with THETA as a Training Provider.
The College forms part of the fully operational Panorama Guest House in Graaff-Reinet, thus enabling students to gain practical, hands on experience in the day-to-day operating of a guesthouse, and giving them the opportunity to interact with guests in a realistic working environment. The practical component of the course makes up 70% of the course.
The remaining 30% is theoretical, classroom-based training. The 120-credit course, entitled a Certificate in Small Accommodation Establishment Operations is offered over a thirty-eight week period as a so-called Further Education Qualification at Level 4 of the National Qualification Framework (NQF), set by the South African Qualification Authority (SAQA). The course design is such that it has articulation towards NQF Level 5. Under the circumstances, learners who have successfully completed the College course will obtain enough credits towards further studies in the second year of studies at a higher education institution such as the Technikon Free State.
Full time, THETA accredited lecturers / facilitators are responsible for such modules as the business and financial management and for tourism, while industry professionals are contracted on an ad hoc basis for instruction in safety and security; communication; facility management, First Aid, and HIV/AIDS awareness.
Students are assessed on a continuous basis and a variety of assessment methods are used, such as, written tests, questioning, product sample, observation and simulation.