Purpose

This full-time program prepares students who have an identified cognitive disability to work in the retail or hospitality industry. The program offers basic skill training while establishing effective customer relations and employee behaviours that are necessary for success as an entry level worker. After completing the core skills courses, students will be streamed into a specialization of skills for either the retail or hospitality industry. Graduates will be prepared to enter into competitive employment in the retail or hospitality industries.

Duration

The Retail and Hospitality Careers Certificate is a full-time program. It is thirty-eight (38) weeks in length, with twenty-six (26) weeks of classroom/lab/industry orientation and training, and twelve (12) weeks of workplace practicum placements.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:

1. Apply organizational and time management skills to meet the demands of the service industry.

2. Apply FOODSAFE™ and worker safety principles consistently when working in a service industry workplace.

3. Interact with customers, co-workers and supervisors in a polite and professional manner using appropriate workplace communication skills.

4. Conduct themselves in a professional manner in the workplace, consistent with industry standards.

5. Differentiate among a wide variety of workplace opportunities in retail and hospitality industry.

6. Apply basic knowledge of the equipment and procedures in a service industry.

7. Perform skills specific to industry in an independent and reliable manner.

8. Accurately use knowledge of industry terms, products, principles and skills.

9. Describe industry groups and customer profiles within industry sectors.

Admission Requirements

• Admission is based on two (2) screening interviews: 
  • The first screening interview is with the CACE Student Services Assistant for students with Disabilities to determine the applicant’s suitability for the program, according to an admission checklist. 
  • If the applicant is successful in the first interview, they will have a second interview with the Retail and Hospitality Careers faculty, including a hands-on assessment. 
  • Interviews are documented and a checklist is used to determine eligibility 
  • Applicants may be asked to sign a release of information so documentation can be provided to faculty to support the application 
• Admissibility is based on the following criteria: 
  • Diagnosis or history that identifies difficulty with learning
  • Comfort and tolerance in an alternative learning environment designed for students with diverse learning needs 
  • Previous career exploration that supports training in the retail or hospitality sectors 
  • Grade 5 reading level. If an applicant does not have documentation of reading level, an informal reading assessment will be administered to determine their functional reading level; applicants who do not meet the requirement will be considered based on department approval 
  • Ability and willingness to travel independently to the college and workplace 
  • A checklist is used to document behaviours, emotional problems, or medical conditions that could significantly impair learning or compromise the safety of the student and/or others 
  • Independently manage own medication  
  • Demonstrate appropriate personal hygiene, and have the ability to independently attend to personal care needs 
  • Desire and willingness to work in the retail and/or hospitality sectors, and perform tasks in an efficient and timely manner 
  • Ability to attend classroom and practicum on a fulltime basis 
  • Demonstrate the skills and willingness to perform program related tasks with strength and endurance 
  • Good finger and hand dexterity  

Upon Acceptance 

• Students in the program may be required to complete a Criminal Record Check (CRC) prior to their practicum placement. The CRC must be completed according to VCC's Criminal Record Check instructions. Students whose CRC results indicate they pose a risk to vulnerable populations will not be able to complete the requirements of the program (e.g. practicums) or graduate. Consult with the department at the start of your program to determine whether or not a Criminal Record Check will be required. 

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
REHC 0601	Student Success	1
REHC 0602	Workplace Skills	3
REHC 0603	Workplace Communication	3
REHC 0604	Health & Safety	2
REHC 0605	FoodSafe Level 1	2
REHC 0606	Exploring the Options	5
REHC 0607	Retail Specialization	10
or REHC 0608	Hospitality Specialization
REHC 0609	Practicum 1	2
REHC 0610	Practicum 2	5
REHC 0611	Practicum 3	5
Total Credits		38

This guide is intended as a general guideline only. The college reserves the right to make changes as appropriate.

Evaluation of Student Learning

Formative and summative evaluations, and a final anecdotal report, combined with a checklist is used to document the students’ progress in classroom/teaching lab and practicum components The host employer and program faculty contribute to the evaluation of students’ performance during practicum placements. Students participate in determining and tracking their progress by a series of self evaluation and goal setting exercises for each practicum.

Ninety (90) % attendance is required to successfully complete each course, unless other arrangements have been made with the instructional team.

Upon completion of the program, students will receive a final anecdotal report written by program faculty. The report identifies strengths, areas of noted improvement, areas which require further improvement, strategies for success, and recommendations.

Completion of each course will be noted on the transcript by an “S” (satisfactory) or “U” (unsatisfactory) grade.

Students of the Retail and Hospitality Careers Certificate will have successfully completed the conditions for graduation when they have successfully completed five (5) of six (6) core courses, one (1) industry specialization course AND a minimum of two (2) of three (3) practicum courses.

Students who have met the criteria for graduation shall receive a VCC certificate.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR)

Prior learning assessment and recognition is not available for this program.

Transcript of Achievement

The evaluation of learning outcomes for each student is prepared by the instructor and reported to the Student Records Department at the completion of semesters.

The transcript typically shows a letter grade for each course. The grade point equivalent for a course is obtained from letter grades as follows:

Grading Standard

Transcript of Achievement

Grade	Percentage	Description	Grade Point Equivalency
A+	90-100		4.33
A	85-89		4.00
A-	80-84		3.67
B+	76-79		3.33
B	72-75		3.00
B-	68-71		2.67
C+	64-67		2.33
C	60-63		2.00
C-	55-59		1.67
D	50-54	Minimum Pass	1.00
F	0-49	Failing Grade	0.00
S	50 or greater	Satisfactory – student has met and mastered a clearly defined body of skills and performances to required standards	N/A
U		Unsatisfactory – student has not met and mastered a clearly defined body of skills and performances to required standards	N/A
I		Incomplete	N/A
IP		Course in Progress	N/A
W		Withdrawal	N/A
Course Standings
R		Audit. No Credits	N/A
EX		Exempt. Credit Granted	N/A
TC		Transfer Credit	N/A

Grade Point Average (GPA)

1. The course grade points shall be calculated as the product of the course credit value and the grade value.

2. The GPA shall be calculated by dividing the total number of achieved course grade points by the total number of assigned course credit values. This cumulative GPA shall be determined and stated on the Transcript at the end of each Program level or semester.

3. Grades shall be assigned to repeated courses in the same manner as courses taken only once. For the purpose of GPA calculation of grades for repeated courses, they will be included in the calculation of the cumulative GPA.