Do you have practical experience as a waiter or waitress in the restaurant business and would like to have it recognized with a diploma? ITHQ offers a Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) service leading to the Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVS) in Service de la restauration (DEP 5293).
What is RAC?
- RAC is a process that enables you to obtain official recognition of the competencies you have acquired during your professional career.
- It leads to an official diploma from the Ministère de l’Éducation.
Who is this approach intended for?
RAC may be of interest to you if you are:
- A person working in the food service industry who does not hold a recognized diploma.
- An ITHQ student or graduate wishing to add a diploma to their CV.
- An employer wishing to have their staff’s competencies recognized.
Why apply for RAC and what are the benefits?
There are many reasons to apply for RAC, including:
- Having access to better positions and working conditions within your company (for example, if certain positions or conditions are accessible only to those with a recognized degree)
- Upgrading your CV for a job search
- Helping with a change of career orientation or further study (for example, if the qualification is required to be admitted to a program)
What are the admission requirements for RAC?
To apply for a RAC in Service de la restauration (DEP 5293), you must:
- Have successfully completed your French as a second language and mathematics courses in Secondary 3
- Have Canadian citizenship or permanent residency
- Demonstrate proficiency in oral and written French
- Have accumulated at least 2 000 hours of professional experience in restaurant services, certified by valid official work certificates
How do I apply for RAC?
To undertake this process, you must:
- Meet the admission requirements
- Gather all the required documents
- Submit your application on the ITHQ admissions platform (including your personal information, the required documents and the payment of the required fees)
What documents do I need to submit with my application?
Here is the list of documents to include with your application depending on your status:
- Birth certificate
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Official work certificates demonstrating the accumulation of at least 2 000 hours of professional experience in restaurant services
- Official report card(s), if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Birth certificate
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Official work certificates demonstrating the accumulation of at least 2 000 hours of professional experience in restaurant services
- Official report card(s), if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Birth certificate
- Canadian citizenship certificate OR permanent resident card
- Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), if applicable
- Cover letter
- Resume
- Official work certificates demonstrating the accumulation of at least 2 000 hours of professional experience in restaurant services
- Official report card(s), if applicable
- Diploma(s) obtained, if applicable
- Proof of participation in related training (attestation, diploma or transcript), if applicable
- Not applicable as this service is not available to international applicants.
How does the assessment process work?
- Once we receive your application, our team will conduct a pre-analysis of your file to assess its eligibility.
- If your application is approved, we will arrange a telephone appointment with you.
- You will also be asked to complete a self-assessment of your competencies.
- Your file will then be forwarded to a content specialist (someone who teaches the subject), who will schedule a validation interview with you.
- If the specialist’s recommendation is positive, your admission to the RAC process will be confirmed officially.
Once your admission is confirmed, a formal assessment of your competencies in a service situation will take place in person, at the ITHQ.
Once your competencies have been assessed, the specialist will draw up a report with their recommendations:
- If all competencies are recognized, the recommendation will be to award you the diploma.
- If some competencies are still lacking, additional training will be offered so that you can obtain your diploma.
Please allow a minimum of 6 to 8 weeks after receipt of your application to complete the assessment process.
What are the fees associated with RAC?
- Administrative fee (file review and processing): $100 (non-refundable)
- Professional analysis fee (specialist assessment): $350
For more details on fees and refund terms, please refer to the ITHQ’s Study programs fees (in French only).
Who should I contact if I have any questions?
For questions about the RAC process, please contact the student recruitment service.