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Certificate of Catering

The Certificate of Catering is a professional development course that provides the essential knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the catering industry. On completion, you will have the confidence to manage catering functions successfully.
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Start Anytime
Yes
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Delivery Method
100% Online
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Study Hours
60 hours
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Course Access
12 Months

Whether you’re looking to start a catering business or enhance your skills in food service management, this course provides the foundation for delivering high-quality catering experiences.

The Certificate of Catering is a professional development course that provides the essential knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the catering industry.

In this online catering course, you will learn about food safety and safe handling practices to ensure smooth and efficient catering operations. You will also learn how to plan and cost recipes, prepare food for diverse dietary needs, and manage cooking operations for large-scale events.

You will discover practical insights into buffet service, menu planning, and event catering. You will also gain a strong understanding of industry standards and how to ensure food quality, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

On completion of this course, you will have the confidence to manage catering functions successfully.

Printed learning materials are available for purchase for this course and can be ordered during enrolment.  

Course Structure
Unit 1 - Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety
  • Follow organisational hygiene procedures
  • Report unsafe practices that break hygiene procedures promptly
  • Reporting breaches
  • Unsafe practices that should be reported
  • Identify food hazards that may affect health and safety of customers
  • Contaminants
  • The seven HACCP principles
  • Remove or minimise the hygiene hazard
  • Report food hazards
  • Preventing and minimising hazards
  • End of shift cleaning
  • Removing hazards
  • Personal health issues likely to cause a hygiene risk
  • Reporting incidents of food contamination
  • Food handling activities
  • Maintain clean clothes
  • Use required PPE including bandages and dressings
  • Preventing contamination
  • Ready to eat food
  • Using no-touch techniques
  • Food contact surfaces
  • Unhygienic personal contact with food and food contact surfaces
  • Cleaning and sanitising
  • Cleaning processes
  • Cleaning and sanitising plans and schedules
  • Cleaning food preparation and storage areas
  • Handwashing techniques
Unit 2 - Produce and Serve Food for Buffets
  • Confirm food production requirements
  • Buffet dining
  • Dishes commonly served in a buffet
  • Production requirements
  • Standard recipes
  • Calculating food quantity
  • How much food to serve
  • Varieties of dishes
  • Selecting ingredients
  • Source ingredients and suppliers
  • Considerations when selecting ingredients
  • Freshness of ingredients
  • Target audience
  • The budget
  • Stock rotation strategies
  • Storing perishables
  • Mise en place
  • Food preparation
  • Preparing meats, poultry and seafood
  • Cookery methods
  • Blanching, boiling and frying
  • Grilling, poaching and roasting
  • Steaming and stewing
  • Poultry and game meats
  • Seafood and fish
  • Other buffet foods
  • Sauces and garnishes
  • Centrepieces and decorations
  • Layout planning and display
  • Buffet display plans
  • Display hygiene
  • Hygiene and food preparation practices
  • Serving food in buffet service
  • Meats suitable to buffet service
  • Carving meats and equipment
  • Policies and procedures
  • Food safety procedures for buffet service
Unit 3 - Prepare Food to Meet Special Dietary Requirements
  • Confirm dietary requirements for customer
  • Catering for organisation and customers
  • Principles and practices of nutrition
  • Food choices and their significance
  • Australian dietary guidelines
  • Special dietary requirements
  • Dietary requirements for medical needs
  • Cultural and religious dietary requirements
  • Halal diets
  • Confirming dietary requirements
  • Health consequences
  • Food intolerances and allergies
  • Reputational consequences
  • Legal consequences
  • Accessing special dietary recipes
  • Selecting special ingredients
  • Ingredients that can cause health consequences
  • Common food allergies and intolerances
  • Food additives
  • Food labelling requirements and interpretation
  • Standard recipes
  • Excluding ingredients from dishes
  • Preventing cross contamination
  • Dishes for customers with special dietary requirements
  • Following recipes
  • Substituting ingredients
  • Specific dietary requirements
  • Communicating information to customers
  • Selecting fresh ingredients
  • Preparation techniques
  • Cooking equipment
  • Cooking techniques
  • Kitchen equipment
  • Modified dishes
  • Presenting plated food
  • Garnishing
  • Sensory assessment of food
  • Visual evaluation of dish
  • Environmental conditions for food storage
  • Waste reduction
  • Cleaning food preparation areas
  • Cleaning equipment
  • Disposing of surplus ingredients
  • Storing supplies
Unit 4 - Plan and Cost Recipes
  • Customer profiles, needs and expectations
  • Target markets
  • Customer preferences and needs
  • Stage of life segmentation
  • Collecting information and analysing the marking
  • Food preferences
  • Changing tastes and preferences
  • Generate range of ideas for dishes
  • Menu types
  • Menu design
  • Types of customers
  • Service style and cuisine
  • Customer preferences
  • Menu structure
  • Balanced variety
  • Standard recipes
  • Portion control
  • Calculating the sales price (budget)
  • Calculating yield and costs
  • Recipe percentages
  • Converting recipes
  • Yield percentage
  • Procedure for testing yields
  • Calculating portion yields and costs
  • Cost-effectiveness
  • High yield ingredients
  • Setting prices
  • Writing dish descriptions
  • Cuisine styles
  • International cuisine
  • Modern Australian cuisine
  • Culinary terms
  • Feedback to determine saleability of dishes
  • Popularity index
  • Adjusting recipes based on feedback
Unit 5 - Plan Cooking Operations
  • Determine food production requirements
  • Menu items
  • Portion control
  • Customer requirements
  • Special requirements
  • Food production processes
  • Production methods
  • Food nutrition and health standards
  • Preserving food structure
  • Food production systems
  • Standard menu recipe cards
  • Selecting and collating standard recipes
  • Food production personnel
  • Mise en place and work flow planning
  • Create mise en place lists for food production
  • Prep lists and workstations
  • Service cycles
  • Calculating commodities and food volume requirements
  • Stock control systems
  • Order quantity
  • Purchase orders
  • Ordering systems
  • Procedures for receiving stock
  • Equipment lists
  • Food safety requirements
  • Teamwork and communication
  • Allocation and delegation
  • Work flow plans and sequences
  • Kitchen workplaces
  • Food production process
  • Food service styles
  • Dietary requirements and special requests
Unit 6 - Plan Catering for Events or Functions
  • Purpose of event or function
  • Stakeholder involvement and consultation
  • Types of events
  • Communication
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • Maintenance staff and external event staff
  • Officials and attendees
  • Identify specific customer needs and preferences
  • Building rapport with client
  • Basic catering delivery requirements
  • Menu types and requirements
  • Beverage requirements
  • Style of service – timing of event
  • Cultural food and special diets
  • Event planning portfolio
  • Document information
  • Determine catering requirements
  • Prepare catering proposal
  • Catering proposal example
  • Operational information (practical details of event)
  • Influence of operational information
  • Determine overall approach
  • Personal roles and responsibilities
  • Kitchen team and front of house team
  • Link food services
  • Event concept and theme
  • Event format
  • Contribution of ideas
  • Creative elements
  • Operational practicality of catering proposal
  • Accuracy of information
  • Present proposal
  • Obtain approval from client
  • Importance of obtaining approval
  • Operational plans and template
  • Gantt chart for schedule of tasks
  • Checklist of tasks to be completed
  • Process-flow diagram
  • Operational steps and activities
  • Sequence activities and steps
  • Risk management
  • Food safety
  • Identify risks for the operational plan
  • Manage risk and controls
  • Contingency plans
  • Review, verify and finalise details with client
  • Benefits of accuracy
  • Share with relevant personnel
  • Implement catering plan
  • Adjustments to plan
  • Feedback after event
Unit 7 - Provide Outdoor Catering
  • Nutritionally-balanced menus
  • Planning meal times
  • Special dietary requirements
  • Vegan, vegetarian and kosher and halal meals
  • Diabetic clients
  • Lactose intolerant
  • Coeliac disease
  • Special requests
  • Food safety hazards
  • CCP decision tree
  • Storage equipment
  • Storing food and beverages safely and hygienically
  • Monitoring food quality
  • Food preparation equipment
  • Treating water
  • Safe and hygienic food preparation techniques
  • Cooking methods
  • Safe hygiene practices
  • Cleaning and dismantling equipment
  • Removing rubbish
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Estimated Duration
60 hours
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment

Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.

Career Outcomes
  • Catering Coordinator
  • Event Coordinator
  • Functions Assistant
  • Venue Assistant
  • Conference and Events Assistant
  • Hospitality Events Support Staff
I was very happy with the information provided. Thank you for helping bring me up to speed in areas which I needed up to date information, to help with catering in volunteer settings, such as church events.
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Alison
Heathmont, VIC
Introduction to Catering and Events
July 2025
I reckon this is the best online course I have done I’m on my second course and wanting to doing more they have great tutors to help and they always reply within 2 days and always help as much as they can I would definitely recommend it to others.
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K. Galpin
Yarrawonga, VIC
The Certificate of Catering and Events
June 2019
It was easy and was able to do it at my own pace without being nagged to continue like some other online courses. Very pleased have already recommended to others.
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J. Barnes
Burnett Heads, QLD
Certificate of Catering and Events
June 2019
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Certificate of Catering
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About Us

At Australian Online Courses, we are passionate about helping individuals from diverse backgrounds achieve their career goals. Since 2008, we have created opportunities for people in Australia and around the world.

Our Difference

What sets us apart is that we genuinely care about your career development. That’s why flexible study schedules, competitive pricing and exceptional customer and student support are at the heart of what we do. Our comprehensive courses, developed in consultation with industry employers, provide the skills and knowledge necessary for success in your current role or to pursue new opportunities.

Our state-of-the-art eLearning platform means you can study anywhere, anytime. So, enrol today and get the skills and confidence you need to achieve your career dreams, big or small.

Graduation

A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.

How to Enrol

You can enrol online by clicking Get Started on any course page under Enrol & Start Today. Follow the prompts to complete your enrolment as an individual, business, or service provider.

Enrol via Live Chat (Business Hours)

Enrol via Telephone 1300 76 2221 (Business Hours)

Payment Options

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Course FAQs

Why choose Australian Online Courses?
  • Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
  • Improve your employment opportunities;
  • Study online, anywhere via our elearning system;
  • High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
  • All course materials provided online – no textbooks to buy;
  • Unlimited tutor support via email;
  • We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
  • Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.

There are no course or subject pre-requisites for entry into our programs. However, our professional development programs are generally intended for people over the age of 18 with a competent level of English. For those under 18, please complete the Parent/Guardian Consent Form before enrolling.

To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.

You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!

Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.

BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.

Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.

Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.

This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.

No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.

Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.

Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.

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