Over the last few years, significant changes have slowly been rolling out through the aesthetics sector. Instigated by the HEE (Health Education England) in response to a need for formalised training for the aesthetics sector. You can read more about why ATAI follow the recommendations. Outlined below are the current guidelines that the training industry has taken on board to facilitate a higher level of training.

How will all this affect you, your career or your business?

As a beauty therapist do the new guidelines now stop me from progressing in the industry?

No, in fact, the new structure allows for greater scope in your career, it also provides an excellent opportunity for nurses wishing to enter the industry.

I was trained by the equipment manufacturer or distributor why is this training no longer sufficient?

Brand-focused training while still applicable to understand specific machines, the practice is not adequate for the delivering of treatment safely and efficiently to the general public. Often the trainers are not qualified teachers or clinicians, and there is no agreed standard or curriculum. While many brands do facilitate training to a high standard, you can only learn so much in a day, with a day being the most common training length. Accredited qualifications follow a robust quality controlled course structure. Apart from manufacturer training not representing an agreed standard it also does not comply with insurance requirements. An accredited Level 4 course is the minimum requirement for attaining insurance.

You keep saying the HEE are guidelines does that mean they are not industry legislation, and why should we care if that is the case?

While in the UK and Ireland even more so, the recommendations have not passed into law or industry legislation. However, often that is not how an industry changes. We are already witnessing the sector evolving, insurance companies, for example, requiring Level 4 training to gain treatment indemnity insurance. The HPSU, an initiative of Enterprise Ireland, has already put in place requirements of training for obtaining funding.

Few would argue that change is not well overdue for the beauty and aesthetics industry. While legislation is often slow to be introduced change is usually driven from within as we are already seeing. As a clinic, we only hire Level 4 and above therapists. Above we can see insurance providers and startup capital initiatives are also driving change.

Training courses

ITEC, CIBTAC, and other training organisations are already rolling out courses reflecting the new training format. Currently, we are facilitating Level 4 and 5 courses, we will be offering more courses in 2018, and we will be providing courses beyond Level 5.

So how will all of this affect you?

Regardless if you are a clinic, equipment supplier, individual therapist, or a support role within the industry sooner or later these new standards are going to affect your career prospects or the future of your business. Concerning job opportunities, the demand for higher level qualifications is inevitably going to be a pre-requisite for gaining employment at any reputable establishment.

In conclusion

An industry crying out for change with the HEE report forming a robust framework for that change. It is ethical for the general public to have confidence that the treatment they receive is delivered with the skill and knowledge required for a technically led industry. While there will always be operators in the industry far from professional taking the lead will separate the wheat from the chaff. The very least we can do is establish a higher echelon of professionalism that the public, and our peers in the aesthetics sector, will recognise.

ATAI is an accredited ITEC training college upholding the highest standards in training for Laser & Light, and specialist beauty therapy courses. Our college gives learners access to multiple platform laser technology including Alexandrite, ND: YAG, and Diode based machines. We also offer an onsite training option for manufacturers and distributors for specific brand training. Beauty collages can also outsource their Level 4 training to ATAI giving their students access to the latest technology without the need of carrying high equipment costs. Talk to ATAI today, and we can tailor a package to suit your specific college needs.

Training with ATAI where the only thing missing is YOU.