Debate: training and development of the beauty workforce during Covid-19

Published 22nd Sep 2020 by PB Admin
Debate: training and development of the beauty workforce during Covid-19

Employment and skills are hot discussion points as the country starts to count the cost of the coronavirus pandemic. Unemployment among young people in the UK is up 76,000 for 16-to-24-year-olds compared to last year, with 13.4% of this demographic currently unemployed.  

And while most industries have had to adapt to altered consumer behaviour and life with a different context to ensure they survive; the question has to be asked how quickly the beauty industry can apply these learnings to the training and development of its future workforce. 

Candice Gardner, education manager at Dermalogica, shares the knowledge and skills beauty businesses will need as they move forward post-Covid-19 and what the industry must do to ensure that future professionals have the skills that employers need.

“This is where industry needs to step up and engage with the future workforce. Employer-based enrichment programmes bring real-world relevance to student course work, and provide practical insights into industry trends, challenges and changing customer needs,” says Gardner.

“As we explore the new ‘next’ for the personal services and wellness industries, these initiatives will become increasingly important to ensure a robust, resilient and relevant industry. From delivering virtual professional consultation services online and addressing the most current and relevant skin and wellness issues, to understanding the impact of PPE and new methods of working, there is a lot to think about.  

“If new and training therapists aren’t given the right input now, the industry will see an increasing skills gap and a huge disconnect between baseline knowledge and the current reality.”

How is Dermalogica helping future therapists to upskill?

Dermalogica is proud of its Partnership Programme which has supported hundreds of recognised colleges across the UK and Republic of Ireland for almost 30 years with inspiring enrichment and brand immersion. 

Supporting these future professionals continues to be a high priority for the brand. Now more than ever our next generation of beauty therapists must be ready to join the workforce and be industry and employment ready.  

Despite the current challenges of not being able to provide on-site training while Covid-19 safety measures are in place for educational institutions, students still need this essential engagement with professional brands and employers. To ensure they can continue to offer this enriching support Dermalogica is relaunching its Partnership Programme digitally with a host of additional benefits for students. 

What skills can you learn digitally via Dermalogica’s Partnership Programme? 

The original eight skills focused workshops that build product knowledge and technique have been adapted for live streamed training in 60-minute formats which can be accessed from any device and location. Ideal for colleges who are also rotating student “bubbles” attending college throughout the week. 

Students don’t need to be in college to attend and will be certificated for attendance upon active completion of the session. With options suitable for Level 2, 3 and 4, the workshops cover subjects such as retailing, confident consultations, Face Mapping skin analysis, working with technology, skin treatment techniques, pressure-point massage and an introduction to peels. The Prep and Prime for Make-up Workshop also connects skincare knowledge with make-up skills. 

New for this academic year are the Aspire Award and Enhanced Employability Series. “Dermalogica is passionate about continued education and training, and we know that employers’ value this too. In our mission to help future professionals improve their employment prospects, our new Aspire Award recognises commitment to training and unlocks access to more education, our Enhanced Employability Series. 

“This series is designed to build awareness on industry trending topics and high value working practice skills. We know that adding these awards and certificates to your CV demonstrates to prospective employers that you are a candidate with highly relevant knowledge and skills,” says Jacquie Slater, education training manager for the Partnership Programme.

This series includes topics such as customer-led skincare, client care practices, men’s skincare and virtual services. These 75-minute webinars are also certificated. Dermalogica will also continue to offer its coveted Student of the Year Award in every college that offers Dermalogica training. 

This award celebrates outstanding students and rewards them with a certificate of recognition, product gift and access to a year of free training to achieve Expert status, usually reserved for account holders and their staff.

For every student graduating from a Dermalogica partnership college there is also offer theReady to Work scheme, which provides access to four days of Dermalogica account holder skin therapist training, so the student can achieve Dermalogica Certified status free of charge. 

Being Dermalogica Certified confirms you are fully trained in Dermalogica retail products and services and can hit the ground running with any prospective employer. This training is also a great way to build confidence, consolidate critical skin therapy skills and strengthen retailing techniques. 

With more than 6,000 Dermalogica stockists across the UK and Ireland, Ready to Work students have the potential to kick start their career by applying to work at retail locations, skin centres, beauty salons and spas with their Dermalogica product and service training already in place.

Dermalogica continues to play an active role in the professional side of the industry as a thought leader and champion for vocational skills. Committed to driving up standards, Dermalogica partners with Babtac as their Skin Expert, is an active member of the City & Guilds Industry Advisory Board, has participated in the development of the sector’s Trailblazer Apprenticeship Standards for Beauty Therapist, Advanced Beauty Therapist and Wellbeing and Holistic Therapist; and are currently working with SkillsActive and Habia on the Expert Working Group for the National Occupational Standards review.  

Find out more about Dermalogica’s Partnership Programme.

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Find out how to effectively treat maskne in salon and how to correctly wear and remove your PPE. Also, this is the one thing all beauty therapists should know about exfoliating

PB Admin

PB Admin

Published 22nd Sep 2020

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