Programs - VET Hospitality

VET Hospitality

The Graduate’s Restaurant could well be the best kept secret in the grounds of our College, offering a unique opportunity for students to experience a variety of TAFE Hospitality courses in their own learning environment. The restaurant is located adjacent to the community gardens. The Graduates’ Restaurant has also been host to the Australian Culinary Federation’s ‘Victorian Secondary School’s Culinary Challenge’, which St. John’s teams have entered (thank you Chef Karla!).

The Restaurant training environment is divided into 3 quite separate areas: Commercial Cookery, Patisserie and Front of House. 

The students all work together to organise and operate a 60-seat fine dining experience for external customers on a Wednesday afternoon and a Thursday evening through the school year. 

The course is open to Year 10 - 12 students enrolled in secondary studies at St John’s and any other secondary school students in the wider community that are interested in Hospitality or Hospitality related skills. Upon successful completion of the training, students attain a Certificate II in their chosen field. This study can be undertaken as a VCE scored assessment, a VCE unscored assessment or part of a VCAL program.

We are currently looking at a structure offering an extension to VET studies in the form of a SBAT (School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeships), which could create opportunity for a Certificate III qualification upon finishing school.

Our program has been successfully operating with teachers and trainers with Hospitality background for 21 years. The class numbers are small, and the trainers’ knowledge and skills are extensive, resulting in students graduating from the course with a high standard of industry appropriate skills, knowledge and experience. Also due to the trainers’ dual qualifications, they are well suited to supporting school age students’ successful completion.

Graduating students have opportunity to further their studies or take up apprenticeships. Many of our graduates have gone on to work in some very high end, well known restaurants around Melbourne: The Press Club, Cumulus Inc, RACV Club, The Langham, to mention a few. Other students have utilised their skills in Real Estate, Travel and Tourism, Event Management, Retail, and the Airline industry. 

Certificate II Hospitality, is a 2-year program where the focus is on attaining skills and knowledge in a front of house restaurant setting. Units covered include providing advice and service to customers, preparing and serving espresso coffee, providing responsible service of alcohol and processing financial transactions to name a few.

Our students are trained in a realistic restaurant environment with access to a 60 seat fine dining restaurant, an espresso machine, soft drink post mix dispenser and a fully functioning bar. The bar has a special liquor license enabling the underage students to be trained in the responsible dispensing of alcohol, operating, organising and cleaning a bar.

During a restaurant service session, students have an opportunity to learn and develop communication techniques, presentation and organisational skills with customers and colleagues: skills that can be utilised across many career paths.

Students gain skills and knowledge from hands on experiences, practical activities as well as online resources and excursions, equipping them to work in many and varied workplaces.

These photos are testament to the work and expertise that our students develop through hands on experiences in the Hospitality Industry. The Graduate’s Restaurant is a large part of the experience on offer, but there have been many partnerships developed with World class venues – RACV Club Melbourne, Crown, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, Langham Hotel and The Windsor Hotel.

Year 7 Celebrate Milk Day