Course Components and Considerations

This curriculum describes two Practical and Applied Arts courses which are among the specified electives at the Secondary Level. These courses may be offered in a variety of learning environments that range from a classroom in a school to an industry worksite. They provide a balance between academic and work-based learning allowing students to keep open options of going to a university, to a technical institute, to a regional college, to a training program or directly to employment. The in-class portion provides technical knowledge that will be reinforced in the workplace.

Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship A30, B30 are designed to create an awareness of the food service industry and develop the spirit of adventure through an entrepreneurial focus. There are two 100 hour courses described in this document -- Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship A30 and B30. Students enrolled in the courses will have the opportunity to explore food-related occupations in the hospitality sector of Tourism. The courses involve work study placements at some of the province's hotels, restaurants, private clubs, and other facilities offering food services.

In the Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship A30 course, the student will spend 50 hours in the classroom learning principles of food service, communication skills, customer relations skills, and personal management skills as they relate to industry standards. The course includes two industry certification programs: Saskatchewan Best and Food Safe.

In the remaining 50 hours, students complete a work study component by special arrangement with the employer, student, and the teacher monitor. Depending on the desired outcome for the student and available worksites, the student may complete the work study within one or two worksite placements.

In Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship B30, students will spend 50 hours in the classroom focusing on entrepreneurship, trends and issues in the food service industry, employment, business, and post-secondary education and training opportunities.

As in the A30 course, for the remaining 50 hours, students complete a work study component to be determined by arrangement with the employer, student, and the teacher monitor. Depending on the desired outcome for the student and available worksites, the student may complete the work study within one or two worksite placements.

Work Study Component

Professionals in the industry have had input into the guidelines through interviews and surveys conducted during curriculum design. The workplace component permits the student to apply academic and school-based learning to workplace settings. This part of the curriculum is very important to the success of the program because of the many benefits to all partners.

Students are provided with an opportunity to experience the work study component in suitable places within the community. Sites for work study may include hotels, restaurants, fast food outlets, bakeries, senior citizen care homes, and other locations. Portions of modules in THER A30, B30 relating to skills within the industry may be delivered in the workplace setting.

Because the courses are not prerequisite in nature, some schools may offer only one course. If only THER B30 is offered, Module 6, Work Study Preparation and Follow-up Activities (found in THER A30) must be taught in THER B30, if the students have never participated in a work study module prior to enrolling in the course. If students have completed a previous work study module in another course, less time will be spent in work study preparation, thus allowing the balance of the time for that module to be spent extending the work study module.

For a copy of the industry survey listed above see Appendix B. This survey may be adapted for use in the local community. It will assist the school in the selection of workplaces and in the implementation of this curriculum.

Course Modules

If only THER B30 is being offered, students are required to complete Modules 4 and 5 as part of the THER B30 credit. Module 11 should not be offered if this is the case.

Time Requirements

The Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship A30, B30 course(s) will demand flexible class scheduling. Employers may request that students experience a full day of work to allow students the opportunity to experience a large part of the operation. Students may be requested to work various shifts to enable them to experience the beginning of the day as well as the end of the day. From the industry's point of view, this is important to gaining a good understanding of how various aspects of the business operate. Many of the businesses surveyed in program development preferred this arrangement. The hours of work must be clearly stated in a contract between the student learner, the workplace employer, the teacher-supervisor-monitor and the parent or guardian prior to the student beginning work. This will ensure that there is no misunderstanding once the student begins the work placement.

If work study placements extend beyond the school day, it may be necessary to obtain permission from the Minister of Saskatchewan Education to extend the school day or week in order to accommodate the placement. For more information, refer to the Practical and Applied Arts Handbook.

Students may be placed at one or more workplaces depending on the desired learning outcomes. It is important however, that a student experience both the food preparation and service components of the business in order to fulfil the objectives of the course.

A minimum of 50 hours has been suggested for the work study component of each course. Using this as a guide, the number of hours worked within a business should be determined by a survey of the businesses where students will be placed. It is important that the partners are encouraged/permitted to have input into some of these decisions made within the program. In total, through one or two placements, students will be expected to complete 50 hours of work study.

Minimum Time Requirements

THER A30 (1 credit) - 100 hours

• classroom component: 50 hours
• work study component: 50 hours

THER B30 (1 credits) - 100 hours

• classroom component: 50 hours
• work study component: 50 hours

The decision to offer one or two courses in Tourism, Hospitality, and Entrepreneurship is a local one. One course credit will be granted for A30 or B30, if the student has met the minimum requirement of 50 hours in class and 50 hours in the workplace. THER A30 is not a prerequisite for B30. However, it is recommended that students have a good background in Food Studies before selecting THER B30.

In the work study component, a student may select two work placements of 25 hours or remain in one workplace for the 50 hours. It is recommended at the completion of the work study component, that the teacher conclude the program with a summary of what students have learned in the workplace.

Both the A30 and B30 course credits may be granted to the student who has met the minimum combined requirement of 100 hours of in class and 100 hours of work study. It is recommended that students receiving two course credits experience at least two placements. This allows students to experience different types of food establishments within the food industry and different styles of service studied in the classroom component of the course.

Creating Work Study Partnerships in THER

Creating partnerships is important to the success of this curriculum. Within this curriculum, there are four distinct partners, all of whom play an important role. These partners include the industry, the school, post-secondary institutions, and the student. It is important that information about the curriculum be given to each of the partners. The partners must have the opportunity to ask questions and respond to the information presented about the curriculum. It is through this contact, that the curriculum can be adapted to fit the needs of all of the partners involved.

Personal contact is the best approach to building partnerships. This can be done by making a presentation to colleagues within the school, to the student body, to school board members, to parents, and to local business. It is important to outline the curriculum and the benefits and responsibilities, to each of the partners.

Common Essential Learnings (C.E.L.s)

The Common Essential Learnings are being incorporated throughout all Practical and Applied Arts courses of study. Throughout the THER curriculum, the CELs have been identified as follows:

Communication (COM)
Numeracy (NUM)
Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT)
Technological Literacy (TL)
Personal and Social Values and Skills (PSVS)
Independent Learning (IL)