Like any other industry, the beauty and cosmetics industry has also been affected by the pandemic. The business climate is rather stormy for the leaders. Since the advent of the crisis, the landscape has changed significantly. Though the beauty industry has always been exposed to unexpected trends and changes, the pandemic embarked on a bigger change. We are familiar with so many businesses that went into temporary hiatus and now are permanently closed. However, among this crowd the beauty industry leader, The Beauty Academy has managed to sustain the changes. In fact, the award-winning beauty academy has been part of the industry since 1998 and has sustained all the trends and changes to emerge successfully.

The Beauty Academy’s Executive Director and Owner, Phil Weaver, is equipped with extensive beauty industry experience. For more than 30 years, he has been managing teams and creating inspirational work environments. Phil has worked with many of the largest salon operators in Canada. He has leveraged this experience to scale the Beauty Academy to such heights. Today, the academy is spread over three campuses in Ontario and is awarding winning in providing unmatched educational facilities. 

However, the pandemic was something they had never foreseen. Consequently, it created several challenges. Especially adhering to the social distancing norms created limits on in-person training. The team of experts pivoted to ZOOM-based sessions and provided meaningful uninterrupted value-based training. The company also added access the instructional videos which were used to enhance learning. Over the years, The Beauty Academy has created a reputation for graduating skilled beauty professional that is industry-ready. The academy takes pride in this accreditation and thus could not compromise the quality of education via digital means. “This also required increased testing and skills validations to ensure skills were at an industry-leading level,” explained Phil. The team however was able to push through these challenges and offer the value-based training, which they are known for industry-wide. 

Sustaining throughout all these years in the beauty industry is indeed commendable. The academy has not only sustained the competition but also the never-ending loop of beauty trends. So, how did The Beauty Academy, helmer the position of industry leader for so long? 

Adaptability is Important

One who adapts to the changes regularly is the one who can sustain in the environment, it is the basic rule of survival. Though many know this, not all follow this. Moreover, experimenting and taking calculative risks can do wonders for any business from any niche. The Beauty Academy was always innovative with its approach and was steady on delivering the latest and best to the students. In doing so, it also adapted to the new tools and techniques. 

The traditional approach of classroom theory and hands-on experience of techniques was further integrated with technology. This hybrid approach did enhance the learning experience. The Beauty Academy also invested in creating a training App that accesses over 100 specialized training videos. The app enables the students to access an extensive library of industry-leading instructional videos. These videos are available for students on their personal devices while attending the program. Phil explains, “This complements the traditional training and provides re-enforced instruction to enable refresh and review.”

The extensive library of instructional videos is also available for review of content and refresher to assist the learning experience. Moreover, an Academy Portal is also available that keeps track of the academic progress of the students. Through this portal one can access the tests, hours completed, and course details. 

While the academic progress is tracked, the academy also keeps the students aware of the industry know-how. For instance, the increased inclination towards adoption of environmentally friendly products and services, tech enhancement in skin prosthetics and hair treatments, increased admiration for natural cosmetics range, etc. all the trends are closely tracked and included in the programs.

Reflecting Industry Standards

To keep up with the industry trends, the curriculum is regularly updated and revised. It is specially curated to reflect the standards required by the industry and to train high-grade industry professionals of tomorrow. The Beauty Academy offers a wide-ranging portfolio of programs, 

• Professional Hairstyling: A modern hairstyling diploma program that is delivered by passionate and experienced instructors. The course puts a strong emphasis on the practical application of skills, live demonstrations, and industry’s best artist instructions, combined to create a successful artistic, confident hairstylist.
• Professional Barbering: One of the best industry-leading courses conducted by experienced professionals. The course is curated to create well-trained Barbers who can fill the dearth of trained barbers in the industry. Through this course, it addresses the fundaments and the advanced techniques for haircuts, shaves, and beards.
• Medical Esthetician Diploma Programme: The program is conducted by industry-leading instructors in a medical spa environment and hands-on client services. This ensures the students are equipped with the confidence and skills needed to fulfill the ever-increasing demand for spa professionals. Students can attain hands-on experience with advanced equipment available throughout the course to build experience and confidence in Advanced Esthetics, Electrolysis, Microdermabrasion, Micro-Needling, Micro Blading, Laser, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light Therapy), and Hydro Facial.
• Medical Spa Specialists: The program is specially designed to deliver cutting-edge education to succeed in this fast-paced growing career. Students have access to advance equipment available throughout the course to offer hands-on time to build experience and confidence in Electrolysis, Microdermabrasion (Crystals), Laser, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light Therapy).
• Spa Esthetician: The program delivers innovative teaching that hones the skills and knowledge of professionals. This course is cleverly developed to ensure that the student with walks out of the academy as the best Spa Esthetician. 

Apart from the aforementioned courses, The Beauty Academy offers point-based certificate courses that range from 7-80 hours in length. These are on-demand courses that generally run in one month. These courses are focused on building the professional skills of students but professionals seeking to be updated with the current trends and techniques can also make use of the courses. These courses cover –Haircut Basics, Colour Basics, Advanced Colour, and Barbering Basics. The rest of the refresher courses are well designed to add new skills. Also to keep them fortified with the recent techniques, refresher courses are offered to address the new trends, techniques, and new services offered in the industry. The instructors associated with these courses are equipped with extensive experience in their particular niche and if any gaps remain the same are covered through the refresher courses. 

Distinguishing factors of Academy

As a pioneering industry academy, it focuses equally on theory and practical skills. The teaching and learning environment of The Beauty Academy includes in-class, demonstrations, hands-on practice, practice with models, and a large library of video training and demonstrations. Furthermore, new trends and market changes are addressed by working with the beauty industry leaders. Due to these key factors, the academy has become a student-favorite and first preference for many. 

Another key distinguisher of the academy is the low student/teacher ratio, which allows them to divide the attention equally on each student. The Beauty Academy prioritizes hands-on experience and access to leading tools, equipment, and multi-media instruction. Driven by instructors’ passion and dedication, the courses have become Consumers Choice and Top Choice in Ottawa and London. It has the best employment rate, with salons seeking out The Beauty Academy graduates. Many of the students are referrals from previous graduates due to its quality and skills of graduates. 

Improving the Learning Experience

The Beauty Academy is aiming to continually expand, update, and improve the educational program. In the coming years, the academy is looking forward to further augment the learning experience and making the process efficient, effective, and practical, and helping students develop life-long educational resources, enabling them to meet the demands of a continually changing beauty Industry.

As a conclusory, Phil has advised the aspirants to practice teamwork, he adds, “Open, warm and consultive engagement with people to understand their needs and translate that to solutions is essential. You need to be the beauty advisor to your customer.”