Men and women with a passion for hair styling who are looking to pursue a career as a professional stylist will soon have access to a reputable training authority in the form of the L’Oréal Professional African Salon Institute, which will provide training on all hair types including Afro-specific hair. The L’Oréal Professional African Salon Institute will be based in trendy Braamfontein and is scheduled to open during the first quarter of 2014.
Part of a global network of L’Oréal training institutes and the first of its kind in Africa, the institute aims to nurture new-generation hair stylists. That is, stylists who are not only professionally-trained but also financially savvy and entrepreneurially-focused, to ensure the long-term health and sustainability of the sector.
“Many hairstylists in South Africa are self-taught, so there’s a need for more professionally-trained hairstylists in the industry. One of the main objectives of the institute is to contribute to a sustainable hairdressing sector and to actively address the job shortage in South Africa through offering a high standard of professional training, through creating financial and entrepreneurial awareness among aspiring stylists and through cultivating the development of more entrepreneurs,” explains L’Oréal Professional Products Division General Manager, Jane Maclaren-Taylor.
The institute aims to achieve its objectives through its flexible approach to training, which sees a highly effective, yet highly affordable, programme being offered on a full-time and part-time basis.
The intensive programme (full-time) is conducted over eight months with classes being scheduled for 3.5 hours in the morning or afternoon, Tuesday to Friday. The part-time programme is conducted over 16 months with classes being scheduled from 9am to 5pm on either a Monday or a Saturday.
Both full-time and part-time courses comprise two phases, namely theory (phase one) and an internship (phase two). In the first phase, students attend lectures and apply the theory learnt in a practical way to mannequins or models. They are constantly assessed against predetermined targets and through tests. Students that excel in phase one by passing all eight tests with a score of 75% or higher, move onto phase two; salon internship, which comprises supervised learning in the salon environment. Here, the general public will be able to receive supervised hair services at affordable rates.
The courses cover various subjects including the hairdressing profession; the science of hair; cut; colour; styling; texture and treatment services; retailing; health; safety and hygiene; communication skills and salon management.
Classes are taken by the institute’s team of experienced instructors who guide, teach, monitor, support and motivate students, assessing their progress step by step. Successful students graduate as L’Oréal Professional Certified Stylists and will be assisted to find job opportunities in salons that use L’Oréal Professional Brands. Those graduates looking to establish their own salons will be referred to appropriate entrepreneurial consultants, or can further enrol in either of the institute’s specialist workshops focusing on entrepreneurship and finance.
The intensive programme (full-time) costs R30 438.00 including VAT payable at R3 617.25 including VAT per month, while the part-time course costs R32 490.00 including VAT and is payable at R1 936.88 including VAT per month. Both courses require an additional registration fee deposit of R1 500.
In addition, an assessment of experience and learning will also be offered. This process recognises what learners already know and can do regardless of whether this learning was achieved formally, informally or non-formally. Students who excel in their assessments will receive a certificate of competence to this effect.
As part of its corporate social investment, L’Oréal will be offering a worthy recipient the opportunity to enrol for the L’Oréal Professional Certified Stylist programme, sponsored by L’Oréal South Africa.
L’Oréal recognises that in preparing these entrepreneurs and ensuring their success, it can make a difference to South Africa’s economy. Once students are certified, they can further enrol for the business courses, namely entrepreneurship and salon finance that the institute will be providing over and above the existing training course.
The L’Oréal Professional African Salon Institute will be a source of well-trained professional stylists for the hairdressing industry.
For any inquiry contact:
Charmaine Joubert,
L’Oréal Professional African Salon Institute Project Manager
011 286 0700
084 752 8975
Email: charmaine.joubert@loreal.com
- Visit their website: http://lorealinstitute.co.za/index.html
- Like them on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LOREALinstitute
