Course Overview
This programme helps you build the confidence, independence, and essential skills needed to progress onto a full vocational pathway in catering and hospitality. You will learn in a supportive and inclusive environment where staff understand and respond to individual learning needs, with smaller class sizes and dedicated support assistants to help you achieve your personal goals. Learning is hands-on and practical, taking place in specialist training kitchens, alongside personal development sessions that focus on communication, teamwork, confidence, and independence.
Teaching takes place in small, supportive classes where tutors use a range of practical, visual, and interactive methods to engage you and support your progress. Sessions focus on developing key personal and study skills such as organisation, problem-solving, and teamwork, while also introducing you to the core principles of your chosen vocational area through hands-on projects and guided practical activities. The programme is progression-focused, helping you prepare for your next step, whether that is a Level 2 vocational course, a supported internship, or future employment, with opportunities for enrichment and enterprise through community projects, charity events, and college-wide initiatives that bring learning to life.
Entry Requirements:
No formal qualifications are required
Course Highlights
Course Units
• Being organised
• Preparing and cooking food
• Developing a personal progression plan
• Communicating with customers
• Making healthy snacks when caring for people
Course Breakdown
Course Structure
Assessment is ongoing and practical, focusing on how you demonstrate your skills and knowledge throughout the year rather than through formal exams. You will build a portfolio of evidence that may include observation records, photographs, practical work, and tutor feedback. Each unit is assessed when you can confidently show that you have met the required outcomes, allowing progress to be recognised at the right time. Throughout the course, tutors provide regular, personalised feedback to help you understand your strengths and identify areas for development, with your progress supported and monitored through an individual learning plan (ILP) to ensure clear, achievable goals linked to your next steps.
Progression & Next Steps
On completion, learners are well prepared to progress onto a Level 2 vocational programme, a supported internship, or a specialist pathway suited to their skills and interests. The Foundation Programme gives learners the confidence, independence, and employability skills needed to succeed in their chosen field and beyond.