Beauty students need to brush up on figures

Social affairs correspondent

Friday 14 September 2012

Many students taking courses to prepare for professions such as hairdressing or beauty and complementary therapies are not being equipped with basic skills in literacy and numeracy, according to a new report.

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stephen naysmith

The report, by the Scottish Funding Council, praises the courses for training people to a high level of technical proficiency and for delivering skills which can often help those who have not previously thrived in formal education to embark on a career.

However it says colleges need to do more to ensure students leave with the basic maths and writing skills needed to do well at work, and suggests that learners are not given enough information about opportunities to go into managing or running their own businesses.Inspectors from Education Scotland carried out the work on behalf of the SFC to assess the impact of the courses,which are hugely popular, with 18,627 student enrolments in 2010/11. Combined, the professions make up one of the largest industries in Scotland, employing 15,847 people according to the most recent labour force survey data. Some of those taking up training places in colleges are already employed in the industry and pursuing professional development. Enrolments also include some school pupils doing taster courses. Eight colleges were involved in the report, which is positive overall about the training on offer. It says almost all colleges now offer high-quality industry-standard salon and treatment facilities in house to provide learners with realistic work-based experience. Students can gain industry-recognised qualifications and programmes are continually adjusted to take account of new treatments, techniques and products. Teaching staff are enthusiastic and most work in the industry. Meanwhile students are motivated and drop-out rates are low. The courses are attractive to those who have struggled at school and the report says almost all of those accepted on to courses regain an interest and motivation in learning, with the result that most progress to professional work in the relevant industries, or similar ones.However the report finds that not all in-house salon facilities provide learners with experiences which reflect realistically the commercial pressure of the real world. It also warns that colleges must do more to promote the range of career and self-employment opportunities available within the industry.The strongest criticism relates to other core skills, which the report says teaching staff do not pay enough attention to. "Some learners who attain high levels of technical competence do not gain sufficient confidence in literacy and numeracy, which reduces their aspirations to progress to supervisory or management roles", the authors conclude.The SFC report says colleges should ensure that literacy and numeracy skills are included within courses. It singles out Kilmarnock College for the support it offers to learners who have dyslexia and other barriers to learning. Moray College is also praised for helping students develop retail skills, while Clydebank College provides mentors to encourage ambition, and teaches students on reducing the risk of skin conditions in hairdressing programmes.

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Education

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Beauty students need to brush up on figures

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