PDA Hospitality Management SCQF level 8

The Professional Development Award (PDA) in Hospitality Management at SCQF level 8 supports the continuing professional development of individuals who have gained leadership and management experience and wish to consolidate and enhance their competence as managers.

The PDA in Hospitality Management at SCQF level 8 contains units from the SVQ in Hospitality Management Skills at SCQF level 8. The units are based on the relevant National Occupational Standards (NOS) for hospitality management and are designed to be delivered and assessed in the work place.

The PDA covers areas such as the management of team performance and compliance with legislative requirements in hospitality. It also includes optional units in specific hospitality operations, such as resource management, kitchen management, accommodation management, and management of food and beverage services — allowing candidates to select options that reflect their own job roles and career aspirations.

This qualification is available through SQA approved centres. It has been designed to be delivered as a work-based qualification. Work-based qualifications usually require candidates to generate evidence from their day to day work activities to demonstrate their competence against the National Occupational Standards.

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The PDA in Hospitality Management at SCQF level 8 has been developed in partnership with employers and industry.

It will help employers meet skills gaps and provide continuing professional development for staff, while candidates will gain a qualification that demonstrates their competence in a work role.

This PDA provides progression routes to further study (see Progression). 

The target audience is those in work who require a qualification to confirm a specific skill set.

Access

Entry is at the discretion of the centre.

Candidates do not need to have formal relevant qualifications to enter this PDA. However, good communication skills, both oral and written, are required. As the units in this PDA are designed to be delivered and assessed in workplace conditions, candidates should be currently in a role that enables them to demonstrate the required competences.

In addition, candidates would benefit from having attained the skills, knowledge and understanding required by one or more of the following:

  • current or prior experience working at supervisor, trainee manager or manager level
  • relevant SVQ at SCQF level 7 or above, eg SVQ Hospitality Supervision and Leadership at SCQF level 7
  • Higher National Certificate in Hospitality at SCQF level 7
  • different combinations of relevant national or vocational qualifications and equivalent qualifications from other awarding bodies

The units that make up this PDA also contribute to the SVQ in Hospitality Management Skills at SCQF level 8, therefore candidates would have the opportunity of progressing to this qualification.

Centres with devolved authority for approval should use their own internal approval process.

Centres without devolved authority require to come forward for approval and should contact SQA's Business Development Team for guidance.

Assessors and verifiers must be able to meet SQA's general requirements for technical/occupational competence as outlined in the Systems and Qualification Approval Guide.

In each unit there are performance criteria that describe what the candidate must be able to do in a real work environment. The performance criteria for all units that make up the PDA in Hospitality Management can be assessed using a combination of observation, products of work, witness testimony, professional discussions, and candidate statements.

It is expected that evidence for this PDA will be generated from real work activity in a hospitality workplace. In some circumstances, evidence of the candidate's performance can come from a realistic working environment (RWE). However, RWEs must meet the guidance provided in the sector assessment strategy.

Group award code: GL7N 48

Structure

The PDA in Hospitality Management at SCQF level 8 consists of two mandatory SQA unit credits and three optional SQA unit credits.