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2023/2024

Catering Work Experience

Code: 103774 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2502904 Hotel Management OT 4 2

Contact

Name:
Gemma Sagué Pla
Email:
gemma.sague@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

To check the language/s of instruction, you must click on "Methodolody" section of the course guide.

External teachers

Es comptarà amb la col·laboració d'altres professionals de la indústria per inspirar als alumnes en la definició del seu objectiu professional.

Prerequisites

An optional subject for students, structured in the framework of the coaching support offered throughout the grade to facilitate the design of the student's career objective and their integration into the labour market. The Pràctiques Externes subject must be passed to qualify for enrollment. It can be coursed together with Pràctiques Nacionals i Internacionals.


Objectives and Contextualisation

  1. To approach the student to the real labour market situation of the sector.

  2. To broaden and apply the theoretical knowledge on the various topics covered during the degree.

  3. To get the experience and the knowledge from a real professional environment.

  4. To facilitate the development of professional skills including team playing, managing emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, creativity and innovation, verbal and writing communication, etc.

  5. To meet all the requirements of the practical teaching programme of the degree.

Competences

  • Apply knowledge in practice
  • Be able to search efficiently for the necessary information.
  • Be able to self-evaluate knowledge acquired.
  • Combine knowledge and skills to carry out the functions of work in hotel and catering companies with professional criteria.
  • Demonstrate a business vision, identify clients' needs and progress towards possible changes in environment.
  • Demonstrate an orientation and culture of customer service.
  • Demonstrate ethical behaviour is social relations and the ability to adapt to different intercultural situations.
  • Demonstrate leadership abilities in the management of human resources in hotel and catering companies.
  • Demonstrate responsible behaviour towards the environmental, social and cultural surroundings.
  • Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  • Manage and organise time.
  • Manage communication techniques at all levels.
  • Plan and manage activities based on quality and sustainability.
  • Plan, organise and coordinate work teams creating synergies and knowing how to put yourself in the place of others when negotiating and managing conflicts.
  • Take decision in situations of uncertainty, solve problems and be able to evaluate and forecast the consequences of them in the short-, medium- and long term, especially the most immediate ones.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Apply knowledge in practice.
  2. Be able to search efficiently for the necessary information.
  3. Be able to self-evaluate knowledge acquired.
  4. Combine knowledge and skills to carry out the workplace functions in the hotel and catering sector in a professional manner.
  5. Demonstrate a business vision, identify clients' needs and progress towards possible changes in environment.
  6. Demonstrate an orientation and culture of customer service.
  7. Demonstrate ethical behaviour is social relations and the ability to adapt to different intercultural situations.
  8. Demonstrate leadership abilities in the management of human resources in hotel and catering companies.
  9. Demonstrate responsible behaviour towards the environmental, social and cultural surroundings.
  10. Develop a capacity for independent learning.
  11. Manage and organise time.
  12. Manage communication techniques at all levels.
  13. Plan and manage activities based on quality and sustainability.
  14. Plan, organise and coordinate work teams creating synergies and knowing how to put yourself in the place of others when negotiating and managing conflicts.
  15. Take decision in situations of uncertainty, solve problems and be able to evaluate and forecast the consequences of them in the short-, medium- and long term, especially the most immediate ones.

Content

The practical training consists of 125 internship hours performed in a company within the catering industry either from a national or international scope. The content of this subject includes the internship period (125h), the completion of the memorandum report and the attendance to the workshop, other events and activities organized during the year (50h) with the aim to assess the student on his/her career objective and future integration into the labour market.

It pursues the student to get to know the organization, operations, and management basics within the hospitality and catering industry (either from a national and/ora n internatinal scope). All areas of the business are considered: from guest services, to operations and/or the promotion of a specific service. If needed, the the university will offer a wide range of partner companies that cooperate with us for the students to achieve their goals. To this extend, we highlight the Workshop-Trobada Empreses-Escola that takes place in February every year, amongst the activities and events that the student must attend in order to pass the subject.

As we do in the previous academic course (Pràctiques Externes), with a view to promoting our students' development of their manageurial skills, we also encourage them to act as consultants and develop an intrapreneurship project in any of the organizations where they perform their internship. In case of interest to further develop as consultants in the field, we foster internal synergies with other subjects so that the student has the appropriate resources within the academic program to develop his/her project management skills (i.e: Bachelor's Degree Final Project, Business Start-Up and Innovation, Management of Operations, Quality and Environment, Hotel Management, etc.).


Methodology

The course will be taught using three different teaching methodologies:

a)    Learning by doing – practical training at a professional environment, duly monitored and tutored by an expert on the professional field.

b)    Self-assessment and self-analysis tasks encouraged and supported by the University tutor/s (in case of synergies with other subjects) during the development period of the internship or consulting / intrapreneurship project.

c)    Autonomous or group work after being in contact with industry professionals to better understand the business operations and the professional profiles that better match each role and type of company.

During the internship period, the student will have to adapt to the company culture and values, its internal regulations, standards and procedures as well as the tutor instructions and the EUTDH main rules.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Authorized secondment in the company: to join a company or business operating at the tourism sector and learn from doing. 125 5 1, 8, 6, 9, 7, 5, 10, 12, 11, 4, 13, 14, 3, 2
Tutor sessions 2.5 0.1 8, 9, 7, 4, 13
Type: Supervised      
Calendar of varied activities and orientation, coaching and assessment in-class sessions to design the student's professional objective and to support the job search. 5 0.2 10, 12, 4, 3, 2
Type: Autonomous      
Internship memorandum report 2.5 0.1 1, 6, 9, 7, 5, 10, 12, 11, 4, 13, 3, 2

Assessment

This subject does not consider the single assessment system.

The evaluation consists of:

a)       The control and monitoring of student attendance at meetings, gatherings and events assigned by the center.

b)      The control and follow-up of the internship performance and the Tutor Evaluation report.

c)       Writing of the Internship Memo Report by the student.

A follow-up by the academic tutor with the student, and/or the company tutor during the internship period may be considered as an additional element.

  • The student enrolled in this subject has the obligation to attend the sessions (workshops and other), as well as the seminars, talks and external presentations organized by the institution. For instance, the University-Company Meeting Workshop.
    The student’s attendance to the meetings, events and other sessions stipulated by the center has a value of 10% of the total grade.
  • The Memo report will represent 50%.
  • The Tutor Internship Evaluation tutor constitutes 40%.

IMPORTANT: In order to pass the subject, the requirements for the three blocks mentioned above must be met. It is also necessary to underline that the student will have at his/her disposal the key datesof the course, which will act asexam datesfor all purposes, and are decisive for the students to be eligible fora final evaluation at a later stage.


Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Attendance and participation 10% 10 0.4 9, 7, 10, 12, 11, 13, 14, 2
Company tutor Evaluation 40% 2.5 0.1 1, 8, 6, 9, 7, 5, 10, 12, 11, 4, 13, 15, 3, 2
Memorandum report or Intra-empreneurship project 50% 2.5 0.1 1, 6, 9, 7, 5, 10, 12, 11, 4, 13, 15, 3, 2

Bibliography

  • American Restaurant Association Reports: 2021 Estate of the Restaurant Industry: https://restaurant.org/research/reports
  • Erikson, T. (2019). Surrounded by Idiots: The Four Types of Human Behavior and How to Effectively Communicate with Each in Business (and in Life). St. Martin's Essentials.
  • Bariso, J. (2018). EQ Applied: the real world guide to Emotional Intelligence
  • Baer, J (2016). Hug your haters to embrace complaints and keep your customers
  • Fernández Guadaño M. (2016). Mise en Place: guia para emprender y gestionar un restaurante por Ferran Adrià. Fundació Caixabank i El BulliFund.
  • Benjamin, J. (2015): Front of the House: Restaurant Manners, Misbehaviours & secrets.
  • Goldblatt, J. (2010) Special Events: A New Generation and the Next Frontier.
  • Brown, T. (2009) Designers think BIG! https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_designers_think_big
  • Meyer. D. (2006): Setting the table: the transforming power of hospitality in business.
  • Brown, D. R. (2003). The restaurant manager's handbook: How to set up, operate, and manage a financially successful food service operation (Vol. 1). Atlantic Publishing Company.

Additional learning materials in digital formal, as well as links to websites, will be provided via the Moodle.


Software

There will be no specific programs required to follow the subject, other than the usual programs necessary to follow the courses throughout the Degree: Moodle and Microsoft Office Package.