Consumers and beauty therapists are being warned about the dangers of unregulated short courses being offered to those wanting to gain qualifications in the beauty industry.
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Research, undertaken in July 2021 by industry bodies the British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology (Babtac), the British Beauty Council, the National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF) and the UK Spa Association, found that 39% of freelance beauty therapists had taken part in unregulated short courses to obtain their training.

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The rapid courses being offered to budding beauty therapists often promise instant certification, allowing trainees to begin offering their services immediately, despite the lack of formal or comprehensive training.

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Improper training can cause issues for therapists, who may struggle to obtain insurance for their services, as well as posing a risk to those undergoing the treatments, especially with more invasive treatments such as skin rejuvenation and laser.

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Babtac said the combination of high levels of female unemployment, redundancies in the beauty sector and the appeal of self-employment could factor into a rise in the number of unregulated short courses being offered.

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“Short beauty training course (are) more attractive than ever before.” explained Babtac chief executive and chair Lesley Blair. “As a result, we're predicting a real surge in some, potentially very dangerous, short courses over coming months.”

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In an effort to help those wanting to enter the industry find accredited beauty courses, Babtac has launched the Find Beauty Training website.

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The website serves as a directory for Babtac-accredited short courses across the UK, so those searching for training courses can filter out those without proper accreditation, to find available courses by category and city.

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The directory can also be accessed by consumers, so they can ensure that the course their therapist has undertaken, and their qualifications, are reputable before booking in for a treatment.

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Article originally featured on Professional Beauty, written by Lollie Hancock

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