With an estimated 50,000 high school graduates looking to train in the beauty industry in the coming year, research shows that salon owners are looking to employ graduates who are not only well-versed in beauty skills, but also have a fundamental understanding of how business works.
“I think it is important for all new therapists to be shown how a business is run,” says Theresa Lawrence, director of Sphere Media Spa in Adelaide. While she concedes that “certain types of therapists are more suited to management positions than others,” she agrees that having the ability to run the business when called upon is an important asset to be able to offer any new employer. Not only does it make for a more efficient staffing situation, it also allows for a lesser head-count, given the one employee is able to carry out treatments, and say, oversee the running of the salon.
Salon owners like Theresa will likely be favouring graduates who have completed a business-focused element to their study.
“We have worked with the industry and have developed this curriculum, combining beauty therapy with essential business expertise,” says a representative from the Australian Academy of Beauty of their new Beauty Business diploma. Completed within 46 weeks, the course focuses on the practical aspects of salon management, leading staff, managing budgets, and is completed in a student clinic in combination with normal beauty tasks.
Employing staff that are capable of managing the business in an owner’s absence is an investment that many are leaning towards, given the added value of business skills.
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