Are newly qualified NVQ 2 beauty therapists adequately trained for industry?

[regenerate]

Hi geeks,

This is a post targeted at employers in the industry.
I'm doing a bit of research for a project i've to submit very soon.
I'd basically like to know if salon managers/owners feel that newly qualified NVQ 2 beauty therapists are fully competent/prepared for industry when they are hired.
Do you find that you have to spend more time training them up to your expected standards? If so, how is this achieved? Is it a lengthy/costly process? Are there particular areas where more skills development is needed?

I'd be really grateful for all responses to my tirade of questions

Thanks

 

[Lynne Baker]

I think there are lot of variables with this one.
It depends on the age of the student, their life experience, the college they've been to, the emotional maturity of the student, their aspirations.
I've had a few as work experience and frankly, they've been pretty rubbish. One of them didn't want to watch when I did a female Brazilian, and nearly fainted when I said the next client was a chap wanting a total body wax. The poor girl dissolved into tears and said she just wanted to do manicures, really.
I'm not convinced that colleges prepare them for real life. One of my student girls repeatedly turned up late, and had a real snot on when I informed her that once more and she would be returned to college.
On the other hand you have pretty much a blank canvas. They're keen, fresh, mostly ambitious, and eager to please.
As far as your assignment is concerned I would say that teaching a work ethic and common sense is more difficult than teaching technical skills.
As for employing them personally? Not a hope in hell! I'm way too picky, and I have a reputation to maintain!

 

[nails for u]

i personally think if the enthusiasm is there any one starting there career after leaving college will and can be valuble addition to a salon/spa enviroment the beauty industry is vast and there are s many fields of xpertise if you find something you enjoy and seem to have sucess at then you can benefit greatly from various product training and technique training thereis so much you can learn from others and there experience i was very lucky that my first employer paid for various training for me including laser ,spmu,advanced electrolosis,microderm as well as nail courses etc i have gone on since to become a salon owner product educator and distributor as a salon owner i like things done ultimately my own way so any new staff no matter how experienced are required to train with the products we use even my receptionists and sales staff attend all training as i think its vital everyone is working towards the success of the buisness and knowledge is power

 

[flutterby40]

well that doesnt say alot for me really!!! not a hope!!! ... i will hopefully be a newly qualified nvq2 beauty therapist, i have studied hard ... the majority of students in my class are mature students, a few in their 20's 4 or 5 in late 30's i am 41 another lady 46 .... i am sure after all our hard work, and after half the class dropping out because they couldnt cope that the rest of our course will also be upset to find we r not wanted! ... 6 or 7 of us r hoping to do nvq3, i actually have a bad back and know i will probably be unemployable so will have to go it alone ... but it is sad to see such negativity to nvq2 .... altho i TOTALLY understand some of the young girls r not reliable (even to the extent that they cannot attend college on time!!) i think alot of it is down to the person themsleves, i feel alot of these young girls play at it, as they think its an easy option ... i wanted to be a beauty therapist at 10 years old and it has taken me over 30 years to get there... i think jobs should go on what a therapist can do etc x (sorry if it looked like i ranted a little lol x x x )

 

[persianista]

I find even NVQ3 students need lots of further training. Which as a salon we expect. I never expect therapists to be caci trained or lash ext trained.
I often find new qualified people to be unrealistic in their expectations and some struggle with the sheer hard work of salon work. On the whole, we weed out the dross at interview.

 

[BABSann]

I am not an employee but I was a manageress and was horrified at the lack of training one of our staff had.

I felt like I had to give her a lot of time,I trained her in our methods/routine of treatments because it's good to be uniform throughout your treatments.Keeps the client happy.

But,the therapist told me she learnt more from me in a week than she did in her training.It wasn't a good college from what she told me.

Different colleges teach different levels in standards,(not good but true sadly).We can't say they are all the same because when I did my training I did feel adequately trained in my level 2 and I was put to work from the minute I worked in my first salon/spa when in fact I was supposed to be there for an induction day lol.I was nervous though, dont get me wrong.

As for extra training,well this goes with the territory,each product range has their own training.NVQ teaches the basics,it's the first step on the ladder,there is a whole big world out there that needs covering.

A lot of houses give free training if you invest in their products/equipment.So it isn't always expensive from that point of view however loss of the therapist and treatments is where your losses may be.Unfortunately a lot of professional training takes longer han the usual monday, when the salon is closed.On average a good facial range will take approx 3 days alone, and that's just the beginning,it can take about 4 sessions of 3 days.HTH

 

[totalbirdbrain]

I agree that a lot of it is down to the student but also down to the example they are given at college. I was involved in assessing last year along with another salon owner....out of the level 2's at the time we agreed that there was probably only one that we would employ ourselves. To be fair that wasnt really the girls themselves but more down to their lecturers. One of my lecturers in my first year of my HND was a real role model I felt. She took no nonsense from us, was fair and I thoroughly enjoyed her sessions. She wasnt trying to be our friend, she was there to do a job and she never overstepped the line although she would have a laugh and a joke with us. Going back to the assessing...I found it frustrating to see studens with acrylics (they had been told to remove them previously but forgot (yeah right)), students that would walk through the door with messy hair, look at the lecturer and say 'yeah I know I'll sort it' and not. I wouldnt have dared turn up with a hair out of place! I found the level 2 lecturers too soft - the level 3 lecturer was much better but by then bad habits have set in.

Certainly in the college I assessed at the students werent given enough practical time. I was given a girl to assess - she was doing a lip wax. I asked her why she was doing that one, was she confident etc etc....her answer floored me! She'd chosen it because it 'looked easy' but she'd never done it before! And i was expected to assess her!

I'm not keen on newly qualified therapists however there is always an exception to the rule and I will always try to be fair. Generally rough edges can be smoothed. You always show them how you expect things to be done and I will give them a settling in period but after that I expect a lot from them. I also dont send them off on product training straight away...i've worked too many places in the past where girls have been employed, been sent straight away and then left within the first few months of employment.

I guess the thing to bear in mind is never judge a book by its cover....i've done that and been proven wrong. On the flip side to that you can still get dodgy level 3 qualified experienced therapists too....its not just the newly qualified ones!

 

[chocolatepickle]

well that doesnt say alot for me really!!! not a hope!!! ... i will hopefully be a newly qualified nvq2 beauty therapist, i have studied hard ... the majority of students in my class are mature students, a few in their 20's 4 or 5 in late 30's i am 41 another lady 46 .... i am sure after all our hard work, and after half the class dropping out because they couldnt cope that the rest of our course will also be upset to find we r not wanted! ... 6 or 7 of us r hoping to do nvq3, i actually have a bad back and know i will probably be unemployable so will have to go it alone ... but it is sad to see such negativity to nvq2 .... altho i TOTALLY understand some of the young girls r not reliable (even to the extent that they cannot attend college on time!!) i think alot of it is down to the person themsleves, i feel alot of these young girls play at it, as they think its an easy option ... i wanted to be a beauty therapist at 10 years old and it has taken me over 30 years to get there... i think jobs should go on what a therapist can do etc x (sorry if it looked like i ranted a little lol x x x )

I agree with you it is sad to see such negativity to the NVQ2.
I dont think it is necessarily fair to comment on 'young girls' often being unreliable, 'young girls play at it'... I feel that is also sad.
My class was also a mix of ages and in my opinion there were students of all ages with relaxed attitudes.
In fact, the most 'professional' girl in my class (again, in my opinion) was actually the youngest.
I think a lot of the standard of college leavers is down to how they were educated- professional standards should be set from the beginning of education and plenty of practice time should be allowed.
But also, as has been said, down to individual attitudes too- enthusiasm, openness to learn, willingness to be criticised/shown better ways to do things, initiative and common sense. Some things can be taught, others cant.

 

[kylieb]

I think there are lot of variables with this one.
It depends on the age of the student, their life experience, the college they've been to, the emotional maturity of the student, their aspirations.
I've had a few as work experience and frankly, they've been pretty rubbish. One of them didn't want to watch when I did a female Brazilian, and nearly fainted when I said the next client was a chap wanting a total body wax. The poor girl dissolved into tears and said she just wanted to do manicures, really.
I'm not convinced that colleges prepare them for real life. One of my student girls repeatedly turned up late, and had a real snot on when I informed her that once more and she would be returned to college.
On the other hand you have pretty much a blank canvas. They're keen, fresh, mostly ambitious, and eager to please.
As far as your assignment is concerned I would say that teaching a work ethic and common sense is more difficult than teaching technical skills.
As for employing them personally? Not a hope in hell! I'm way too picky, and I have a reputation to maintain!

I'm not convinced that colleges prepare them for real life

Your absolutely correct here! It's completely different once your out there! and they don't prepare you to how it should be. I think some of them are still living back in the day!

 

[regenerate]

Thank you so much for your replies everyone - you've given me a lot of food for thought.
Many thanks X

 

[single sparkle]

Alot of people that come to me or call looking for work experience don't even know how to answer/talk on the phone ???????