i agree with GMG in regards to the articale in PN.
my views on this are my own and i will try to explain how i feel, im no expert here but from where i am as a beauty therapist and nail tech i feel the following :
when starting out in the industry all i was mainly interested in to begin with was NAIL TECH, so knowing nothing about doing any foundation courses etc i went to the first call of port being my local college. they advised me that in order to do nail nech i needed a manicure/pedicure certificate to do this. so after waying up the options. i opted to do my nvq level 2 in beauty therapy which includes BT7 & 8 which meant i could go on to do nail tech.
sorry this is going to be long winded
the course was ok, not exactly what i wanted to do but i would do anything to do nail tech so i persevered with it, i did enjoy it but there are aspects that i have learned that i would never use again. i went on to do nail tech and loved it and have since done other nail related courses as well. It just seems that in order to do the one thing i really wanted i had to go round the houses to do it.
i feel that the nvq in nail services is a very good idea, however the other beauty add ons are to me a total waste of time if all you want to do is nails. as i am mainly home based i do offer eye treatments, facials and tanning. this is also mainly because thats what i learnt first and dont want to waste it having spent a year learning it.
to be the best in any area and this includes facials, holistics nails etc i feel that it is best to specialize in that field and lean all you can imporving your skills continually. you wouldnt train to be a heart surgeon and then in your free time be a opticitan. wrong analergy prob and spelling is horrendous but i hope you get the idea.
i personally feel that the nvq is a great idea, however for all of us that have started from nothing and this includes every nail tech in the world, i hope that you will agree with me when i say that you only start to really get to grips with it once you have passed your nvq and are working in the 'real world'. i would think it would take approx a year maybe to be truly proficient in your chosen area of nails. would it not be better then to have a nvq for these people that have been working as nails techs for a period of time.
naming no specific nail company here but they start of with induction training, and then foundation and you have to wait for a year before you do your masters training. this to me is more sensible as you get more knowledge and practice before moving on. you are proficient. anybody could do a nvq in nail services in a local college to level 3 but most of these courses are not taught by working nail techs they are taught by beauty therapists who do nails. manicure and pedicure should come out of the beauty threshold and be under the nail services.
i know that you can do the nvq at the sat ant centres but you do have to pay for this where at a college it is free for full time courses. but the standard of training is not always as high as it may be a sat ant centre as there you will get working nail techs teaching and advising you.
i would love to be able to do my nails services nvq but my local college is offering it but are using a product that i would have to purchase to complete the course with that i would never use again as i am already qualified in l&p and gel and use what i feel to be the best in the industry and why should i settle for anything less. the training would also not be to the standard that i have been taught so would be a complete waste of time. to do it at a ant centre would work out over my budget , ive already done, bt7 , bt8, g1, g6 etc. i have been through it with a advisor and i can not afford it so hopefully by waiting it will either change or goverment funding will help me acheive it.
knowing what i know now. i would of gone straight down the nail route and not in the back door through beauty. i do enjoy what i do but have a passion for nails more. being mobile and home based though it have provided me with a extra niche as i could not survive on doing nails alone.
nails services should be what it states - nails only - hands and feet - natural and enhancements - no add ons -
my views but would love to hear what you all have to say