It seems the only place for the phrase, ‘beauty school dropout’ is in a Frankie Avalon dance number. In reality, current stats show beauty college graduation rates are higher than ever before, writes Nadia Stennett.
Unless you’re singing along to your Grease DVD, there’s little reason to utter the words, ‘beauty school dropout’.
It seems the only thing today’s beauty school students are dropping are their beauty L-plates, as graduation rates soar to 89 per cent, with increasing numbers of students successfully making the transition from trainee to professional.
Over 3,800 beauty therapy jobs are expected to be created in Australia by 2018, and according to Ella Bache’s head of education, Jennifer Hayes, there’s fierce competition for professional roles already.
“As treatments are becoming more specialised, beauty therapy is more than just pampering. A beautician is trained to do manicures and hair removal, where a trained beauty therapist will possess more technical knowledge about skin science, skin biology, anatomy and physiology, nutrition and cosmetic chemistry.”
…more students are opting to open their own businesses in order to get a foot in an already competitive job market
Apart from a detailed knowledge and the right certification, business skills can help many would-be therapists make the leap from amateur to professional, as more and more students opt to open their own businesses in order to get a foot in an already competitive job market, says Hayes.
“We want to help our students carve out a career, not just secure a job when they graduate. Students can apply for a grant to open their own salon by presenting a working business plan for an operating commercial beauty salon.”
Ella Baché graduate, Leanna Windsor purchased her own Ella Baché salon in Chatswood within just two years of graduating from the brand’s specialist college.
“Being young, the idea of opening my own salon was daunting,” says Windsor.
“However, I feel that Ella Baché College equipped me with the knowledge and tools to become a professional Beauty Therapist and a competent business woman, plus, I have a talented team and a helpful business manager that continue to support me and my salon,”
After Windsor graduated in 2012, she worked in a newly-opened Ella Baché Salon in Newcastle and witnessed the support and guidance that her previous employer received from Ella Baché Head Office.
“Ella Baché has a fantastic culture and adopts its staff into its family. By studying at the College, I feel that I was given the best skincare and diagnostics training in Australia and Ella Baché has continued to nurture my career and facilitated me to reach my goals and open an Ella Baché salon of my own,” adds Windsor.
And ten months on from her salon opening, Windsor has no regrets. The Chatswood store has already seen a 30 per cent increase in profitability and 50 per cent growth in its client base. is thrived with a 30% growth in profitability and a 50% monthly increase in the client base.
Have your say: Did you find the job market to be competitive when you graduated beauty college?