Beauty Therapy Training Goes Digital

When it comes to modern-day study, classrooms are fast becoming a thing of the past – and beauty therapy training now joins the raft of courses being delivered online.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but digital technologies such as Skype and YouTube have rapidly transformed the teaching of more ‘hands on’ courses such as beauty therapy, enabling beauty students to train via new and exciting portals.

Mellissa Luke, Online Distance Education Tutor at the Australian National College of Beauty (ANCB), says the demand speaks for itself, with 65 per cent of the college’s current Diploma of Beauty students choosing to complete their studies online.

‘The online nature of the course appeals not only to those who are located in regional areas through Australia, but also to those who are time poor and want to study at their own pace and in their own time’, says Luke.

The ANCB’s comprehensive beauty therapy programs cover treatments including spa therapies, massage, natural remedies, microdermabrasion and facials, with various elective streams also available.

The practical component of each course is delivered on campus via an intensive six-day workshop. Once complete, students use a variety of online support tools including video, forums and Skype meetings to carry out their training from home.

Online learning portals provide students with continuous access to course material, which students use to build a client portfolio each time a treatment is performed.

‘It’s about building evidence of their practical work’, says Luke. ‘We constantly monitor our learning portal; we answer questions and students’ queries all the time’.

This far-reaching support network encouraged Taryn Grech, current student of ANCB’s Diploma of Beauty Therapy, to pursue her education online.

‘As a stay-at-home mum in regional New South Wales, studying beauty online with ANCB gives me the opportunity to learn new skills to re-enter the workforce when my son is older’, says Grech.

‘I complete the practical elements on family and friends and I volunteer my time at the local community centre to give beauty treatments at no cost. This helps to put my name out there as a beauty therapist in training and enables me to build a client base for the future’, she says.

Each of ANCB’s programs provides students with continual support and guidance throughout their coursework, to ensure that they graduate job-ready.

The college also offers a career management portal, where students can seek assistance in fine-tuning job applications and hunting for placements.

‘ANCB has very strong industry relations. We want to produce industry-ready therapists’, says Luke.

‘The online distance education provides a flexible atmosphere whilst also ensuring students are qualified to safely undertake beauty treatments during and upon completion of their Diploma’, she adds.

For anyone left unsure about whether to take the plunge and enrol in an online beauty therapy course, Grech offers this final word of advice.

‘Go for it! It is a really fulfilling course and I am learning so much.’

See our range of online beauty therapy courses.