Macdonald Hotels & Resorts spa apprenticeship programme kicks off

UK-based Macdonald Hotels & Resorts has welcomed its first 17 apprentices.

The apprentices attended a two-day introductory workshop at the Macdonald Craxton Wood Hotel & Spa, hosted by the group’s managing director of leisure and spa, Jeanette Jones.

The apprenticeship programme, announced in August, is the first of its kind for the hotel group.

Spanning all Macdonald’s 23 spa hotels, the programme, The Macdonald Way, is run in partnership with The International School of Beauty Therapy.

The initiative includes on-site training for the apprentices, by The International School of Beauty Therapy, as well as online support via an intranet site. The programme is divided into an NVQ level 2 and an NVQ level 3 section, with the level two part dedicated to facials, manicures and spa host training and the level three segment covering massage techniques and blended oils.

Jones said: “It has been a great pleasure to welcome our first apprentices to the programme and I’m hoping this will give them the confidence to become the finest spa therapists. I have been very impressed with their knowledge and passion for the industry and am looking forward to seeing them progress using the tools and procedures we have put in place.”

The programme is accredited by certification awarding organisation the Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT) and is designed to encourage choosing a job in spa as a career. 

Louise Leach, founder of The International School of Beauty Therapy, said: “The Macdonald Way will comprise standardised practices which all hotels can use as a reference guide, from how the treatment beds should be set up to the uniform rules which need to be abided by."