Commissioners Information Bulletin 260
Issued: 15 April 2005

Beauty Industry - Approval to rationalise apprenticeship and traineeship pathways through variation to an existing Vocational Training Order and establishment of a new recognised traineeship vocation.

At the request of the NSW Retail, Wholesale and Associated Services (WRAPS) Industry Training Advisory Body (ITAB), the Commissioner for Vocational Training has approved the rationalisation of apprenticeship and traineeship arrangements for the Beauty Industry through the following actions:

• variation of the existing Vocational Training Order (VTO) underpinning the recognised trade vocation of Beauty Therapy, under section 6 of the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001
• establishment of a new recognised traineeship vocation of Beauty Services, under section 5 of the same Act, and approval of the relevant VTO under section 6 of the same Act
• repeal of the traineeship vocation of Nail Technology, under section 5 of the same Act.

The new and amended VTOs specify the requirements for gaining a credential for the relevant apprenticeship and traineeship pathways identified in the revised Beauty Training Package WRB04, endorsed by the National Training Quality Council (NTQC) on 7 June, 2004.

Vocational Training Order Standard Format

The VTO in each instance may make reference to:

• the appropriate term or terms for apprenticeships or traineeships in that vocation
• the appropriate probationary period or periods for apprenticeships or traineeships in that vocation, having regard to the term or terms specified for them under paragraph (a)
• the appropriate qualification or qualifications that may be awarded in relation to an apprenticeship or traineeship in that vocation
• any other training to be provided in addition to the training required for an appropriate qualification
• such other matters relating to the training of apprentices or trainees in that vocation as the Commissioner considers appropriate.

A copy of the revised VTO supporting the recognised trade vocation of Beauty Therapy is at Attachment A.

A copy of the relevant VTO supporting the recognised traineeship vocation of Beauty Services is at Attachment B.

Beauty Training Package WRB04

The beauty industry is diverse in that it provides a range of specialised assessment and clinical services to clients from very small businesses to larger enterprises operating in both cities and remote areas. Additionally, the industry has a retail focus through the sale of home care products via salons and retail cosmetics and skin care products through pharmacies and large department stores. The industry is made up of small employers, many of whom are self-employed and operate their businesses from salons, hotels, health spas and hairdressing salons and retail outlets.

The initial Beauty Training Package was endorsed in July 1999. The review of the Training Package began in August 2001 and was completed in October 2003.

All units of competency have been reviewed, with new units having been added to accommodate new and future skill needs. Units have been also imported from other endorsed Training Packages such as the Health, Entertainment, Retail and Business Services Training Packages.

Qualifications have been revised to provide flexibility through the creation of an elective structure for all qualifications and an increase in the number of available electives.

Three of the qualifications were given title changes:

• Certificate II in Retail Cosmetic Services to replace Certificate II in Retail Cosmetic Assistant (WRB20304)
• Certificate II in Make-up Services to replace Certificate II in Make-up Artistry (WRB20204)
• Certificate III in Beauty Services to replace Certificate III in Beauty (WRB30104).

Qualifications framework

There are seven qualifications available under the revised Training Package, ranging from Certificate II to Diploma. The qualifications cover nail technology, cosmetics and beauty services.

Due to the broad range of elective options available at the Certificate IV and Diploma levels, there is the potential to move into other sectors, for example Retail, Business, Health and Entertainment (refer Attachment C - PDF 38KB).

• For the purpose of the revised VTO, apprentices in New South Wales in Beauty Therapy will have the option of gaining the following qualification:

Certificate IV in Beauty Therapy WRB40104.

• For the purpose of the new VTO, trainees in New South Wales in Beauty Services will have the option of gaining the following qualifications:

Certificate II Nail Technology WRB20104
Certificate II in Retail Cosmetic Services WRB20304.

The packaging and combination of the minimum number of units required for the apprenticeship qualification are outlined at Attachment D and those for the traineeship qualifications are outlined at Attachment E.

Industrial arrangements

Industrial arrangements for apprentices and trainees employed in the beauty industry are in place through the following instruments.

Beautytherapy: apprentices are covered by the Hairdressers' &c (State) Award . There are currently no provisions for part time apprenticeships.

Nail Technology: the Professional Hairdressers Association has advised that current industry practice is to pay nail technologists as manicurists under the Hairdressers' &c (State) Award.

The Hairdressers', &c (State) Award is being revised to reflect current industry activity and support the WRB04 Training Package. The revised award will include recognition for this sector but there will be no provision for part-time training.

Retail Cosmetic Services: trainees are covered by the NSW Shop Employees ( State ) Award and its splinter award, the Retail Industry (State) Training Wage Award. Part-time provisions apply.

Note - Applications under the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 to establish any traineeship or apprenticeship will not be approved unless the Commissioner is satisfied that appropriate industrial arrangements are in place

Mapping of existing curricula

Apprenticeship: The Beauty Training Package WRB04 contains information in the Qualifications section on transition advice and maps the superseded WRB99 package across to the current WRB04 Training Package. TAFE NSW curriculum (TAFE is the only provider) has been mapped against the previous training package to ensure inclusion of all aspects.

A mapping of the units from the WRB99 Beauty Training Package to the revised units in the WRB04 Beauty Training Package is at Attachment F - PDF 138KB. Advice on equivalence is also included in the unit descriptor for each of the Beauty specific units where appropriate.

A mapping of the qualification outcomes from WRB99 to the qualification outcomes in WRB04 is provided at Attachment G - PDF 94KB.

Traineeships: There is currently no accredited curriculum document to support traineeship qualifications in the Beauty Training Package. The Training Package has, however, addressed past issues with coverage of underpinning knowledge and skill with the inclusion of knowledge Units within the competencies.

Vocational Education and Training in Schools

There are no arrangements to offer the apprenticeship in beauty therapy as a vocational course for school students.

Content Endorsed Courses (CECs) are developed jointly by the Office of the Board of Studies, the Department of Education and Training and TAFE NSW for delivery as vocational courses to senior school students. Until now, the Certificate II courses in Nail Technology and Retail Cosmetic Assistant have been available as CECs and have been delivered through the TAFE delivered HSC VET Courses program, under which school students may study at a TAFE NSW Institute while completing their HSC at school.

Licensing arrangements

There are currently no licensing arrangements in place in New South Wales for people employed in the Beauty industry.

Learning resources and assessment materials

There are no support resources immediately available to support the Training Package. There are, however, support resources in the way of Learner Guides which are currently being developed and envisaged being available in early 2005. A Professional Development Kit is available.

NSW WRAPS is providing assistance for providers on an as-needs basis after having conducted an implementation workshop late in mid 2004, after endorsement of the Beauty Training Package.

Availability of Registered Training Organisations

TAFE NSW is the only Registered Training Organisation (RTO) available to deliver the Beauty Therapy apprenticeship.

A list of RTOs that can deliver the traineeship qualifications - Certificate II in Nail Technology and the Certificate II Retail Cosmetic Services - may be found on the National Training Information Services (NTIS) web site http://www.ntis.gov.au/

Flexible training arrangements

There are no provisions for part-time apprenticeships or part-time Nail Technology traineeships. The Training Package assessment guidelines stipulate units to be assessed on and off the job and those that industry has indicated should only be assessed in a simulated environment. The specific assessment requirements are outlined in the National Training Package and at the higher level, off job assessments are specified in some units of competency.

IAN KINGSLEY
Commissioner for Vocational Training