Unemployment rates among young people are rising and university education is poised to become massively more expensive. But for those with a flair for fashion who want to work in hairdressing or beauty, the future looks bright. Hilarie Stelfox takes a look at the vocational training needed to become a beauty therapist. Next week: hairdressing

BEAUTY THERAPY has always been a popular choice for girls leaving school. Not least because entry into the profession requires a fairly modest collection of GCSEs and the success rate for finding work after training is high.

At Kirklees College where around 400 students are taking full time or part time beauty therapy courses in Huddersfield and Dewsbury, more than 80% can expect to get a job after completing even the basic level of training.

What’s more, qualifications in beauty can open the door to many opportunities.

Elona Thomas, who now teaches beauty therapy at the college, first trained more than two decades ago and got the chance to work on cruise ships. She says that both the lifestyle and the financial rewards were nothing short of amazing.

“Even 20 years ago when I did it I was earning $150 dollars a day in tips,” she revealed.

“The basic pay is quite low and you are working for commission and tips, but you do get all your board and lodging provided and you get to travel around the world on your own in safety. And it’s great for building confidence. After working on a cruise ship you can walk into any job anywhere.”

Former Kirklees student Natasha Cade, 19, from Sowerby Bridge, is currently enjoying life as cruise ship massage therapist.

She said: “I left school not knowing what to do. I never thought that at 19 I would be sat on a beach in the Caribbean on my day off from work.”

Natasha studied up to level 3 on the NVQ course after becoming interested in beauty therapy. “During the year college organised different talks to help us decide where we wanted to take our skills next,” she said.

“Steiner, a company that recruits for cruise ships, came to do one of the talks and I was able to get all the information that I needed.”

Rachel Howarth, lecturer and course tutor in beauty therapy, says the training given to girls – and it’s an almost 100% female intake – offers a good grounding for a number of career options.

“They can work in spas, salons, on cruise ships, in media make-up, as a cosmetic consultant, go on to teach or even use it as a stepping stone to university,” she explained.

“Our open evening wasn’t as well attended this time as last year because I think some parents believe there aren’t many jobs out there. But with a beauty qualification you can go on to do other things such as physiotherapy and sports massage. It gives you a good training in hygiene and communication skills.”

Virtually all beauty therapists now train in colleges and will opt for a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) or B Tech diploma.