Wairarapa Beauty Students In Demand By Industry

UCOL Wairarapa beauty students are seeing the benefits of working part-time in the industry while studying towards a diploma.

Six of the eleven students in the New Zealand Diploma in Beauty Therapy have already secured part-time work in beauty therapy roles this year.

Students Kushla Cresswell and Alysha Adams are working at Caci Masterton, Jennifer Scott has a job at Caci Upper Hutt, Denika Rudman is at Brackenridge Country Retreat & Day Spa, and Horiana Greening has secured a role at Pippilou's Beauty Boutique. Sara McDonald is running her own business.

UCOL Senior Beauty Lecturer Angela Ashby says it is fantastic to see so many of her students find jobs so early in the year.

“Working part-time in the industry is a great opportunity for our students to hone the skills they learnt in the certificate program last year, as well as gain industry experience performing the treatments they’re currently learning.”

Many of these job opportunities have come from local businesses approaching Ashby, looking for students who would make great employees.

Ashby believes a change in class schedules has made it easier for her students to work and study at the same time.

In early March, ākonga Kushla Creswell started working as a Skin Therapist at Caci Masterton. She says the job is complementing her UCOL studies well.

“Caci puts us through specialised training, but we also do training online. I’m noticing a lot of it crosses over with what I’m learning on the beauty diploma - things like microdermabrasion, product ingredients, needling, and peels. Studying at UCOL has given me a big advantage going into a place like Caci because I already have that base knowledge.”

Sara McDonald has run her own spray tanning business for the past two years, and recently started offering other beauty treatments after completing the New Zealand Certificate in Beauty Therapy.

McDonald set up a tiny house on her property as a space to do beauty treatments from, and is working with clients two days a week.

“It’s great to take what I’ve learnt in class and apply it to the business. Obviously, there are the treatments we learn, but there are also things like professional practice and hygiene standards.”

McDonald is busy, with a client base made up of her spray tanning customers and others who have found out through word of mouth.

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