Laser Hair Removal Training …
Beware of rogue trainers offering worthless certificates
Laser hair removal training is quite popular since the changes within the insurance industry started to soft regulate who can and cannot gain insurance. There has been a marked increase in therapists and nurses wanting and needing a formal qualification in laser hair removal.
Formal qualifications are always accredited by an awarding body
Requiring formal qualifications is a positive step forward for the industry and the general public. However, it has also brought to light what can only be described as rogue trainers. Some salons are offering laser hair removal training and offering a certificate to the participants. However, it is not a formal qualification, the minimum standard being a Level 4 regulated qualification awarded by ITEC, VTCT, CIBTAC or BTEC. We can understand how the cut-price training can be enticing, how words like ‘training from an “insert brand” certified trainer could seem legitimate.
Unfortunately the reality, no matter how good the webpage seems or how well known the hair removal salon is, the certificate is not worth the paper it is printed on. When you study for an accredited Level 4 Laser & Light qualification leading to a Certificate or Diploma, that qualification is given by an awarding body, and that is what insurance companies are looking for.
Legitimate courses will always provide the following:
- Awarding body: ITEC, VTCT, CIBTAC, BTEC
- Qualification No: (QAN) 500/1212/5 all formal qualifications always have a QAN
- RQF Level 4 as an example, it stands for (Regulated Qualifications Framework)
- TQT and or GLH (Total Qualification Time and Guided Learning Hours)
When you study with an accredited training organisation, they are governed by a set of standards, including:
Qualified teaching staff: The college staff are accredited educators holding a specific education qualification for the delivery of education in a manner suiting individual learner requirements.
A standardised curriculum: An established standard in what should be delivered in the laser training course. Even though the practical side of providing laser hair removal is covered in-depth, there is so much more to a formal qualification. Regulations, understanding how to be compliant in other jurisdictions, Northern Ireland, the UK or even Australia. That is, in part, due to many countries recognising your formal qualification. It is an official qualification mapped to an international qualifications framework.
Occupational health and safety: OH&S is far more than understanding treatment room risks. There is an entire regulatory component that even if you managed to gain insurance in the event, you were sued and could not provide specific regulatory components your insurance would be void.
External examination: Awarding bodies typically have an external examiner attend the training college when it is time for exams. The learner goes through a rigorous examination of practical skills through to client care.
Salons that offer in-house training courses tend to concentrate on a single brand and technology. That is one of the fundamental problems insurance companies have with brand training. It is too focused on a specific modality. Regulated training provides the learner with the skill set to operate ethically and safely no matter where they end up working or the brand of the laser machine.
Remember a formal qualification if studied in Ireland or the UK will be awarded by ITEC, VTCT, CIBTAC or BTEC.
Where you study will be a recognised training provider, you can phone or email the awarding body and ask if the place you are looking at is a legitimate training college. Or you can visit the awarding bodies website. Typically, a registered training college will be listed on the awarding bodies website, just like we are here for ITEC.
What seems like a bargain, is not a bargain at all, it is just flushing your hard earned money down the toilet. Always spend your very hard earned money on a formal qualification granted by an accredited training college.
