Beauty Apprenticeships In Queensland: Everything you need to know

If you’re a beauty business based in Queensland, you may have recently heard that beauty apprenticeships are finally here! It feels like we have been waiting forever for this incredible announcement. Many benefits come with a beauty apprenticeship, not just for the apprentice but also for you as a business owner. 

Let’s dive deep into everything you should know about hiring a beauty apprentice in Queensland. 

What is an apprenticeship? 

In Australia, an apprenticeship involves on-the-job training and experience to gain a nationally recognised qualification. In this case, a diploma in beauty therapy. 

What are the requirements of a business?

• You must hire all Beauty Apprentices on a part-time or full-time basis.
• The minimum age for entry is 16 years of age.
• An apprentice must always work alongside a senior beauty therapist. 
• You will be responsible for 60% of an apprentices training.
• An apprentice will require your time, resources and energy - your efforts will lead to their success as a senior beauty therapist. 

How does the training work? 

A beauty apprentice will be required to train at work with you and externally through their elected training provider. We highly recommend Katrinas School Of Beauty. The more training you do with your apprentice, the quicker they will be able to do treatments on their own and begin contributing to your business’s profits. It truly is a case of getting out what you put in. 

There are 20 core units and 9 elective units involving a combination of theoretical and practical work your beauty apprentice will be required to complete. You will need to allocate your apprentice time during their work hours to work through each unit, providing assistance and education when needed. An apprentice can choose to complete further studies in their own time to progress quicker. 

A beauty apprentice must attend training and assessments with their external training provider. Most training providers will allow you to customise your beauty apprentice’s external training to suit your business’s needs. For example, you could request your apprentice to attend beauty school once a week or instead attend a 1-2 week block of training every few months. 

It’s important to consider that some apprentices may not have much experience in the workforce. In this instance, their training will need to begin with the basics - phone etiquette, how you would like them to greet clients, keeping things neat and tidy, laundry etc. Once a beauty apprentice feels more confident in these admin duties, it will be time to start training them in treatments. We recommend allowing your apprentice to shadow you during treatments with your clients before beginning to teach them how to do treatments independently. 

How much does it cost to hire an apprentice, and is there funding available?

There is approximately $10,700 worth of course fees. However, there are different subsidies and funding options available to cover most if not all of these fees. Contact an apprenticeship support network such as MEGT or Busy At Work to discuss what funding you are eligible for. 

To view a beauty apprentice’s minimum weekly wage requirements, click here.

The hourly rate will differ slightly depending on whether the beauty apprentice has or hasn’t completed high school. As a beauty apprentice progresses through their apprenticeship, their wage will increase. There are subsidies and funding options available for your apprentice’s wages, covering up to 50% of wages in some instances. Be sure to ask an apprenticeship support network about your eligibility as a business. 

How long does a beauty apprenticeship take to complete?

1 - 3 years, depending on how quickly a beauty apprentice advances through their apprenticeship. The more time you spend training your apprentice, the quicker their skills will progress. Not only will they begin contributing to your business’s profits once they are independently performing treatments, but you will also have confidence in their abilities knowing you have trained them with your way of doing things. 

Where should I start if I want to hire a beauty apprentice?

Firstly, you will need to contact an apprenticeship support network.

To contact MEGT, click here. 

To contact Busy At Work, click here.

You will then need to choose a beauty school for your apprentice to attend for their external training and assessments. We highly recommend Katrinas School Of Beauty.

To find out more about Katrinas School Of Beauty, click here. 

After this, it will be time to advertise your exciting new role and find a beauty apprentice! You can use job searcher websites such as Seek to begin your search. We also recommend posting on your business’s social media pages. It’s important to wait until you’ve found the right fit before hiring. You will be working very closely with your beauty apprentice, and they will be representing your business and brand. Take your time to find the right person and consider having them in for a trial before hiring.

The benefits of hiring a beauty apprentice!

 

• You will be able to shape your beauty apprentice into the perfect senior beauty therapist for your business through ongoing training. 
• They will learn the ins and outs of your treatments and retail products. 
• An apprenticeship is a 1 - 3 year commitment, giving you staff longevity.
• Wage subsidies may be applicable - lower wage expenses.
• You will have an extra set of hands helping you with your day-to-day tasks, freeing up more of your time to focus on doing treatments with your clients. 
• Best of all, you will give a fellow beauty lover a chance to pursue their dream career!

 

We hope this has answered your questions about beauty apprenticeships in Queensland and inspired you to look into hiring a beauty apprentice. 

 

If you want to advance your skills within the beauty industry, take a peek at our bespoke beauty courses here.