Diploma of International Tourism and Hotel Management

Academic and Professional Skills Development is a 10 Credit Point course within a range of diploma programs at Griffith College. The course is situated within the first semester of each of these programs. Diploma programs are designed to provide students with a pathway to: further university studies in related degrees or direct employment. The course offers students a broad introduction to the skills involved in acquiring information and in displaying knowledge to others. It includes the basic knowledge and skills required to successfully participate in an undergraduate degree program and to operate effectively in a professional context.

The global tourism & hospitality industries are large, multi-faceted and complex, and represented by an array of stakeholders with both complementary and competing interests. The ‘systems’ perspective in this course has a threefold purpose:

1. you will learn the key sectors and stakeholders in the tourism and hospitality industries, and evaluate the interactions between them;
2. you will understand tourism as a socio-economic activity within the context of socio-cultural, political and operational systems; and
3. you will apply a systems thinking perspective that will highlight the complexity of tourism and hospitality systems and allow you to identify options for improving the sustainability of the global industry.

The world has become increasingly interconnected as a result of increased trade, communication and cultural exchange. This interconnection, or globalisation, creates a need for you to develop intercultural, knowledge, understanding and competence. In this course you will explore Australia’s place in the Asia-Pacific region with its accompanying strong cultural ties to the history of Australia’s First Peoples and the Western world. You will examine the influences of the past, contemporary issues and possibilities for the future. This course is designed to commence your professional learning about the cultural protocols and knowledge required when engaging in cross-cultural relationships within Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.

In an increasingly complex financial system, independence and effective decision making are important life skills. In business, financial skills drive profitability within the rules and regulations of government, institutions and organisations. In this course you will understand basic monetary flows in the economy, and the interrelationships and dependencies between money, society, groups and organisations, locally and globally. You will develop core skills in financial literacy for business and an understanding of the key principles of accounting, finance and economics. Sound accounting, finance and economics skills are sought by employers in any business graduate, as they enable a solid understanding of the principles that drive enterprise toward success.