As part of National Apprenticeships Week, we spoke with Clare Porter (owner of The Fountain Beauty Therapy, and Apprenticeships Ambassador at Habia) to find out about the benefits of apprenticeships in the Beauty sector.
“We now have two apprentices and are proud to be sharing our expertise and love of the industry with them. Initially, due to the size of my salon and limitations with local colleges, I didn’t think they would be an option to me but I was connected with an alternative learning provider, offering a flexible curriculum that integrates into our salon.
Our Apprentices benefit from a mix of in-salon experience and structured training, with a focus on staying current with both our salon and industry standards. Weekly portal learning, workbooks, and regular assessments ensure a steady progression, supported by tutor visits to address any gaps in learning. Very early on apprenticeships were explained to me as a triangle where there is the learning provider, the employer and the apprentice all working to support each other, which works brilliantly.
Through apprenticeships, our team gains a sense of empowerment, as sharing knowledge becomes mutually beneficial. For our apprentices the constant in-salon learning, meeting and greeting clients, working as a team and keeping up-to-date with skills is invaluable. Then there is an End Point Assessment to bring all of this together and ensure that the apprentice is confident and industry-ready in every way.
Apprenticeships are a forward-thinking approach for professional growth within the beauty industry, and so refreshing. I am so happy that we are able to support these young therapists into these amazing careers.” – Clare Porter.
