Higher Certificate in Front Office Administration

Purpose

The Higher Certificate in Front Office Administration in Beauty and Wellness aims to enable the learners to understand and practice in the field of front office administration and to perform related administrative functions and selected practical skills. The learners will be able to understand appropriate knowledge areas of the discipline in such a way that it forms a strong theoretical foundation. The qualification reinforces the learners' technical knowledge and competence with the inclusion of work-integrated learning. At the same time, it prepares the successful learners for further learning in the same or related areas of study, thus laying a firm foundation for lifelong learning and career development.

Learners will be equipped to

• Take shared responsibility for the execution of administrative and related functions in a salon and/or spa environment.
• Support a professional team at a salon and/or spa in the capacity of administrative and/or office assistant.
• Communicate effectively with clients, staff and management.
• Work effectively in a team or group in a salon and/or spa environment, taking responsibility for own decisions and actions and those of others within well-defined contexts, including responsibility for the use of resources where appropriate.
• Support the management of appropriate administrative processes in a particular context.
• Perform selected practical skills within a salon/ spa environment.

Administrative knowledge and skills will enable learners to develop a theoretical and practical understanding of the context and strategies relevant to administrative and office processes and associated environments, inclusive of scheduling and coordination, office systems operations and maintenance, office records management, organisation and data security, reporting procedures, and other associated functions. This will add value to the understanding of the importance of the application of appropriate administrative principles and theory. Administrative knowledge also implies an understanding of planning and consulting, business information systems, professional standards and ethics and its applications to specific organisations.

The addition of selected practical skills will add to the employability of the learners and improve his/her understanding of the selected business environment. The skills selected will also allow learners to apply their entrepreneurial skills enabling him/her to become economically self- sustainable.

Rationale

In the current South African economy, there is a need for entry-level qualifications which are vocational and industry orientated. This qualification has been developed to address the need for competent individuals working in front office administration in a salon, spa or wellness environment. With the Health and Wellness industry expanding at a rapid rate, the need for dedicated and competent front desk staff has been identified. Discussions with various stakeholders in the industry has shown that there is a great demand for front office administration training specifically focused on the Health and Wellness industry. The addition of selected practical skills will allow the learner to assist with specific treatments offered in a salon/spa environment, ensuring higher employability.

This qualification will provide learners with the necessary skills to provide a professional service to clients, contributing to the local economy. It also creates a pathway for successful learners who did not meet the National Senior Certificate criteria into Diploma studies to proceed to an Advanced Certificate or Diploma in a cognate field.

The Higher Certificate in Front Office Administration in Beauty and Wellness offers the foundational knowledge and applied competence required to be employable as receptionists, secretaries, general front office administration personnel or managers' assistants in Salons, Spas, Clinics, Cruise Liners and Hotels. The qualification is designed to enable learners to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values required to operate confidently in and respond to the challenges of the South African employment context as effective front office administrators, thereby addressing the existing and potential skills gaps.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The qualification may be achieved in part through RPL in terms of compliance with the competencies indicated in the defined Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification. Evidence may be presented in various ways, including verified previous qualifications, testimonials, work records, portfolios, and videos of practice as well as performance records. An integrated Summative Assessment will be part of the RPL process.

The Recognition of Prior Learning may allow

• For accelerated access to further learning.
• For accelerated access to a higher level.
• For the exemption of certain modules.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• National Senior Certificate (NSC), NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.

Or

• National Certificate Vocational (NCV), NQF Level 4 granting access to Higher Certificate studies.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 5 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules, 120 Credits

• Retail Marketing, 20 Credits.
• Beauty and Wellness Services, 20 Credits.
• Front office administration, 20 Credits.
• Business Numeracy and Accounting Practice, 20 Credits.
• Business Communication, 20 Credits.
• Client Services and Ethics, 20 Credits.

1. Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of the main areas of front office administrative functions and practice, understanding key terms, concepts, facts and principles, rules and theories of front office administration and their application in a salon and/or spa environment.
2. Select and apply essential methods, procedures or techniques within the field of front office administration in a salon and/or spa environment together with selected practical skills.
3. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the concepts and principles of accounting policies and practices and the importance of accounting in the office environments.
4. Communicate information accurately, coherently and reliably, using conversions, writing skills, information and communication technologies, business information systems and reporting procedures when dealing with clients.
5. Use knowledge to solve well-defined problems in a range of familiar and new contexts, demonstrating an ability to adjust an application of a solution within relevant parameters to meet the needs of changes in the problem or operating context, as well as using relevant evidence to evaluate the change.
6. Demonstrate an understanding of planning and consulting in a team context taking into account and act in accordance with prescribed organisational and professional ethical codes of conduct, values and practices within the salon and/or spa environment and seek guidance on ethical and professional issues when necessary.
7. Apply marketing principles and acquire fundamental knowledge of retailing, demonstrating an understanding of consumer behaviour.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Explain key terms, concepts, laws, principles, rules and theories of office administration and their application in a front office administration environment.
• Explain administration in the wider context of a business environment and in relation to society in modern South-Africa.
• Apply knowledge of the relevant legislation regulating the South African business sector in general.
• Demonstrate competence as a receptionist as an integral part of office administration.
• Demonstrate a broad understanding of the organisation's filing systems, policies and procedures.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Evaluate, select and apply appropriate administrative techniques and skills within the context of clearly defined problems in an administration and/or office environment, inclusive of scheduling and coordination, office systems operations and maintenance.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the interrelatedness of the different areas of office administration and how actions, ideas or developments in one system impact one another.
• Perform selected practical skills within a salon/spa environment.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Define accounting and explain the need for accounting.
• Define and apply generally accepted accounting principles.
• Perform accounting and financial record-keeping tasks.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Communicate appropriately in an organisational context by explaining the process of communication, identifying and making use of effective communication skills, identifying the barriers to and ethical considerations in communication.
• Apply effective communication and good client service in all business interactions.
• Demonstrate knowledge of e-mail etiquette, interpersonal skills and effective listening skills.
• Draft accurate notices, agendas and minutes of meetings and business reports.
• Respond to written communication in the workplace.
• Describe the communication barriers in the cultural context.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Solve well-defined problems, both routine and unfamiliar, within an administrative context.
• Select, analyse, synthesise and evaluate relevant information, tools and techniques needed to solve problems and bring about change.
• Evaluate and identify changes needed for efficient office administration using relevant evidence.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Work independently as part of a team, taking responsibility for decisions made.
• Effectively complete group tasks identified by team leaders or supervisors.
• Take responsibility for own decisions and actions and those of others in the group
• Identify own learning needs and be supportive of addressing the learning needs of others.
• Demonstrate an understanding of theories and concepts in ethics, generic governance and ethical considerations in a business.
• View the customer as the central figure in organisational communication and the ability to deal with diverse customers.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 7

• Identify and describe the marketing orientation and place of marketing in a given context.
• Apply the principles of successful retail strategy.
• Apply the principles in customer decision making.
• Apply the fundamental principles of group, social and cultural influences that affect consumers.
• Understand markets and consumers within the social-economic, competitive and technological environments.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment practices must be open, transparent, fair, valid, and reliable and ensure that no learners are disadvantaged in any way. An integrated assessment approach is thus incorporated into the qualification to integrate theory and practice through a system of formative and summative assessment processes.

The development of the competencies may be through a combination of formal and informal learning, self-learning, training and work-based application during experiential learning.

• Learners are assessed using different methods of assessment.
• Continuous formative and summative assessment of theory-related subjects through verbal and written evaluations, to assess knowledge and application, are conducted.
• Continuous assessment helps to develop an increasing critical awareness of the learners own progress and empowers him/her to improve future performance. It also helps the lecturers to develop a critical awareness of the needs of individual learners.
• Formative and summative assessments are used for practical application, i.e. practical simulation.
• Summative assessments are used to provide information about the learner's competence against Associated Assessment Criteria.