Career and Professional Preparation for Hotel and Leisure Facilities Management

This first-year module helps to introduce students to their three-year diploma course curriculum; the hotel and facility management industries and how they can prepare themselves to meet the industries requirements and needs. Through the module, students will be required to explore, grow and reflect on how they can serve in these industries. This module is also designed holistically for the contribution towards the overall well-being of the society as we prepares our students to succeed in their careers by helping the students to transcend and link their academic studies to skills and character development. The module will take a student-centric approach to introduce multiple pathways to develop students of different abilities to their fullest potential during and after obtaining their diploma. The pathways include industry partnerships and the students’ participation through SkillsFuture initiatives. Through the module, students should be able to embark on their three-year course with the end in mind after guided reflection of their personal characteristics, and producing an overall game plan for their future education and career goals. The module also aims to deepen students’ commitment to the hotel and leisure facilities management sectors.

Electrical Facilities

This module covers the different electrical facilities found in high-rise buildings. Topics covered include the electrical supply system, lifts and escalators. Emphasis will be placed on real-life applications in the operation and maintenance of these facilities in buildings.

Executive Housekeeping

Housekeeping is an essential part of the effective and efficient operations of any hospitality establishment. Students will be introduced to the basic roles and functions of the housekeeping department, the pre-requisites and tasks performed by the Housekeeping Manager, the importance of basic aesthetics in hospitality establishments, quality standards and guest satisfaction as well as the procurement functions and inventory control. This module aims to equip students with basic awareness of housekeeping operations, management principles and knowledge of materials that creates a clean and safe environment for guest enjoyment.

Financial Accounting

This module provides students with the knowledge to understand basic accounting theories, concepts and conventions. It will equip them with the skills to interpret and use financial accounting information to analyse financial statements for decisionmaking. This module will also cover budgeting, financing strategies, working capital management as well as capital investment analysis. This domain knowledge plays a critical role in maintaining integrity, professionalism and ethics at the workplace.

Front Office Management

The Front Office department is traditionally the first point of contact with guests and it strives to provide the best service to leave guests with an exceptional first impression. In order to achieve this, students will be taught the importance of customer relationship during the different segments of a guest cycle such as prearrival, arrival, stay-in and departure. Topics covered include the services, roles and functions of the front office department as well as the service quality and pre-requisites of front office staff. The module also train students in the area of cost and revenue management, which are vital to the survival of a hospitality establishment.

English Language Express^*

English Language Express aims to give you a better grounding in the English Language and to strengthen the written and oral communications skills that you will need in your academic and professional careers. You will be engaged in writing, reading, listening and speaking activities that will develop your ability to speak and write grammatically, coherently and clearly. You will also hone your reading and listening comprehension skills.

Communication Essentials^{^}

Health & Wellness^{^}

Business and Contract Law

Students will study legal obligations relating to the management, use and operation of the built environment. The legal system introduces the nature and administration of law. The law of contract and commercial law involve a study of self-imposed obligation by individuals. The law of torts involves a study of state-imposed obligation on individuals for civil wrongs. Students will learn the concepts and principles of law through critical analysis, logical reasoning, and problem solving and management skills.

Customer Relationship Management

This module focuses on the social aspects of customer relationship. It covers the principles and concepts of customer relationship management such as hallmark of good customer service, elements that affect the provision of good services by service staff, protecting privacy of customers and dealing with difficult customers / situations. Students will learn the appropriate tools to respond effectively to customers and stakeholders, and understand their rights and obligations as service professionals.

Environmental Health and Workplace Safety

This module covers the general aspects of managing environmental health such as indoor air pollution, types of pollutants and the corresponding health impacts as well as the study of pest and vector control. Students will learn to apply the relevant concepts and principles to ensure the well-being of occupants and users. Workplace Safety and Health includes the study of the various types of hazards found at the workplace and putting in place systematic and regulated methods of control to prevent these hazards from causing harm and losses. Students will also have an overview of solid waste management, characteristics of solid waste and the corresponding environmental and health impacts. Current methods of waste collection such as pneumatic waste conveyance system will also be introduced. Students will be able to attain bizSAFE Level 2 certification upon successful completion of the module.

Food and Beverage

Food & Beverage (F&B) services play an important role in the product and service mix of hotels. It helps hotels capture additional revenue, add prestige and competitive advantage. In this module, students will learn the fundamental processes in typical F&B settings such as table service, service procedures, pre-opening activities and service recovery techniques. They will acquire knowledge on types of food & beverage menus and basic menu planning, information technology used in F&B, food sanitation, food nutrition, environmental health legislation as well as basic facility layout techniques.

Mechanical Facilities

This module provides fundamental knowledge on the principles of operation of mechanical systems typically installed in modern high-rise buildings. Systems covered include water supply, sanitary plumbing and drainage, town gas supply, swimming pool water filtration, mechanical ventilation and air-conditioning. Students will also learn operational and maintenance requirements of these systems as well as to read drawings of selected systems.

Innovation Made Possible^{^}

Facilities Management Technology and BIM

This module covers the skills and knowledge required for entry-level jobs in Facilities Management (FM) and trains graduates to handle FM duties as facilities owners with both in-house staff and out-sourced service providers. Topics include FM functions, operation and maintenance, procurement of goods and services, cost estimation and budgeting, works management, maintenance documentation and smart building technologies. Smart building technologies include the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in FM, the application of building automation system, development of smart buildings, and the latest technology applications in FM, in particular in areas related to Smart Nation initiatives.

Marketing and Consumer Behaviour

This module aims to provide you with an understanding of the fundamentals and concepts of marketing mix. Marketing is the key to the survival and growth of all businesses, more so for those in the service industries like facility management and hospitality businesses. You will be exposed to the study of the psychology of consumer behavior and its’ impact on consumption behavior, which is an inseparable part of marketing. This will develop your insights relating to consumption-related decisions in the service industries. Real life case studies related to the facility and hospitality management organizations will be used to develop your critical thinking skills and abilities. You will also learn about the informed decision-making process, ethics and psychology of marketing with the strategic execution of the marketing mix and effective communication in the retailing and marketing of facility management and hospitality services.

Principles of Management

The Principles of Management is an art of planning, organising, directing and controlling of the various resources, including people, within an organisation. Students will be introduced to the basic concepts and philosophy of management, and the various motivational theories such as the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s theory of needs. Organisational behaviour and culture will also be introduced as a focus towards human resource management within an organisation to achieve business objectives and the effective development of management and decision making strategies.

Security Management and Business Continuity

This module consists of two main topics. The first topic serves to introduce students to understand the effects and impacts of disasters/ risks/ threats to the operations of facilities and businesses as well as the measures that can be adopted through business continuity strategies to ensure the survival and continuation of the business operations. The 2nd part of the module deals with understanding the security risks to business and its’ facilities operations as well as how these security risks can be mitigated through the effective management of security manpower, protocols and strategies.

Shopping Mall and Strata Management

This module introduces students to the basic principles and practices in the planning, designing and management of shopping malls as well as the concept, legislations and management of strata developments. Students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and problem-solving skills to face the challenges in the management of such developments with the objective of preparing them for career in the management of shopping malls and strata developments.

Building Elements and Technology

The module deals with the principles and practice of construction for low and highrise buildings. Major components of buildings include the forms and structures of the buildings. Students will be taught to identify the various forms of foundations, structural frames (column, beam and slab systems), wall and roof systems. The secondary elements such as doors, windows, staircases, partitioning walls and external envelope of the building; including the common building materials and finishes. This provides the background knowledge for the students to progress on, to appreciate the green and smart technologies that may apply to existing buildings for the enhancement of building performance. It is also the pre-requisite towards the understanding of building maintenance and asset enhancement concepts.

Career and Professional Preparation 2

This second-year module equips students with skills necessary to seek and secure work. They will also be equipped to communicate their personal brand in a positive way. As students sharpen their communication skills, they will also learn how to market themselves effectively.

Data Analytics and Research

This module will introduce the students to the importance of statistics, analytics and research in the facilities and hospitality management environment. Students will be taught research methods in data collation before moving on to analyse and interpret the data using different statistical methods and IT tools such as MS Excel. Students will also be introduced to a variety of computational techniques as well as graphical representations of the data to facilitate their presentation their research data and statistics.

Events Management

This module uses the event management process as a tool to guide students to make good decisions in events design, development and execution. It covers the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How of events management. Students would need to apply their knowledge of events management to understand stakeholders’ interests and needs, make effective use of event tools and resources, engage in problem solving and contingency planning. Arrangements will also be made for students to be exposed to events management within the hospitality and facilities management industry.

Green Building and Energy Management

In this module, students will learn green building design and technologies and the role they play in the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint. This will include the study of the various Green Mark Listing Scheme, the passive and active designs of green buildings, the sustainable operation of services and the implementation of new green technologies when applied in new and existing buildings. Students will also learn about energy management and the effective steps to manage and reduce energy consumption in buildings.

Space Planning and Management

Space within a building is compartmentalised to meet the needs of different functional usage. Change of use may take place due to the changing needs of the users or trades of the occupiers. This is more so for the management of commercial retail and office spaces where there are relatively high turn-over of the tenants leasing the spaces. This module will equip the students with basic Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Building Information Modeling (BIM) software skills to model a building and to perform space planning of a building. Students will acquire the application of CAD and BIM in tagging and calculation of rentable spaces, model the changes for a fitting out works, generate and interpretation of 2D and 3D drawings for building and M&E works, and the use the information for cost estimating purpose. This module complements the learning of relevant marketing, property and facilities management modules.

World Issues: A Singapore Perspective^{^}

Building Maintenance and Asset Enhancement

This module develops student understanding of building defects, which can impact on building performance and result in high repair and legal costs. Students will also be introduced to asset enhancement strategies to improve an existing building through upgrading. There are two main parts in this module. Part A provides the background to the need for maintenance and concomitant investigations associated with it as an on-going responsibility for personnel involved in the aftercare of buildings. This part also includes a study of building defects, including their causes, effects, remedies and prevention. Part B covers topics relating to refurbishment as an asset enhancement strategy. Students will learn the need for asset enhancement decisions. This is followed by topics that include structural alterations, energy saving improvements, sustainable construction, design for maintainability as well as associated problems encountered in an asset enhancement project.

Fire Safety Management

This module covers the Fire Safety Managers’ scope of work and prepares students to be fire safety managers. Topics covered include a study of the requirements contained in the Fire Safety Act, fire command centre operations, evacuation procedures, fire safety planning and fire incident management. It also covers the active and passive fire protection systems in buildings such as fire extinguishers, wet and dry rising mains, fire sprinkler systems, fire detection and alarm systems, smoke control systems and the protection of means of escape. Case studies will be used to illustrate the importance of fire protection systems.

Hotel Operations and Management

This module consolidates the students training in the art and science of running the operations of a hotel based on different organisational and structural frameworks. Students will be taught the integrated management of hotel operations such as food services, housekeeping, front office, engineering, security, financial control, revenue management, sales, human resource and information technology. In order to drive hospitality into the future, focus will also be placed on the use of data analytics, technology as well as green and sustainable solutions.

Project Planning and Management

This module introduces students to the functions and methods of project planning and management in the context of projects in the hotel and leisure programmes and events, as well as facilities maintenance and refurbishment works. It covers project planning and management process, budgeting and cash flow planning, logistic planning and human resource management.

Project ID: Connecting the Dots^{^}

6-MONTH INTERNSHIP OPTION

6-month Internship

This 22-week internship is a major module in the HLFM curriculum. It is organised to offer work experience for the students to develop career-related skills and explore possible career options. This module provides an opportunity for the students to put theory into practice, adapt to working life and affirm their strengths. Students will also be able to develop hard and soft skills such as working independently and as a team, problem-solving, interpersonal and communication skills. It may be taken locally or overseas, depending on the availability of internship openings.

3-MONTH INTERNSHIP AND FINAL YEAR OPTION

3-month Internship

This 12-week internship is a major module in the HLFM curriculum. It is organised to offer work experience for the students to develop career-related skills and explore possible career options. This module provides an opportunity for the students to put theory into practice, adapt to working life and affirm their strengths. Students will also be able to develop hard and soft skills such as working independently and as a team, problem-solving, interpersonal and communication skills. It may be taken locally or overseas, depending on the availability of internship openings.

Final Year Project

This module provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learnt during the first 2 years and part of their 12-weeks internship to complete a major project. During the 10-weeks, students will undertake a major individual project and complete it based on its’ requirements, prototyping and development with the necessary drawings and report. Through the module, students will also enhance their abilities in problem solving, communication and interpersonal skills.