Employer champion seeking support for new diploma

Habia have appointed top industry trainer and business expert Gill Morris as their Employer Champion for the new Diploma in Hair and Beauty Studies. Her role is to spend the next 12 months highlighting the benefits the Diploma will bring to businesses, both large and small, as well as representing employers’ interests to government. Gill will also be aiming to get employers involved in the consortia that will deliver the Diploma to young people across England, as well as encouraging employers to get involved in other ways, such as:

• sharing expensive equipment, making it more affordable for businesses, schools and colleges to benefit from the latest technology
• working with schools and colleges to help develop a curriculum, train staff, give talks and carry out demonstrations
• providing work experience placements, which would give employers the opportunity to help young people as well as building connections with them and their schools.

Gill recently met with Schools Minister Jim Knight at the National Educational Business Partnership Network (NEBPN) conference to ensure that hair and beauty is not overlooked in further Diploma developments and in upcoming promotional activities. Speaking after the event, Gill said: "The Diploma in Hair and Beauty Studies is going to have a huge impact on our industry, so it is important that employers fully understand how it will work and what it aims to achieve from day one. "It is only natural that businesses will have questions, but my role is to assure them that they will be involved in every step of the development, and that the end result will very much be designed to meet the needs of employers in relation to young people and skills."