Government approves beauty therapist apprenticeship at Level 2
The Level 2 Trailblazer beauty therapy apprenticeship standards and assessment plan has been approved for use in England, as part of the Government’s apprenticeship reforms, with a maximum funding cap of £7,000.
Small employers, with less than 50 employees, who take on 16-18 year olds or those aged 19-24 who have been in care or have a local authority care plan, will not have to pay anything towards the cost of apprenticeship training and assessments.
An incentive payment of £1,000 will also be available to them and to their training provider to support the additional costs of training these groups. However, employers taking on older apprentices will be expected to contribute one tenth of the cost. As the Government has confirmed funding of £7,000 per apprentice, employers will be expected to contribute a sum of £700.
The Nail Services Technician and Beauty and Make-up Consultancy standards are still with the Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) awaiting approval.
George Hammer, the chair of the Trailblazer Steering Group for beauty professionals, said: “My thanks go out to all the beauty salon owners who have put in considerable time and effort to make these standards a reality. These standards will make apprentices more salon ready when they finish training and so I feel what we’ve achieved will make a real difference.”
“The beauty therapist apprenticeship will provide apprentices with the right skills, knowledge and behaviours to work within the beauty therapy sector at Level 2, and will set a great foundation for professional development and progression,” added Diane Hey, employer champion of the Trailblazer Steering Group for beauty professionals.
The National Hairdressers' Federation (NHF) has also warned that the National Minimum Wage could be scrapped following an influential report by the Government’s Education Select Committee. This means apprentices will be paid according to their age rather than at a set rate.
For more information on the Trailblazer Apprenticeships to date, visit the Institute for Apprentices website.
The draft Level 3 Trailblazer beauty therapy apprenticeship was put up for review earlier this year.