Salons skills crisis

Training is the biggest issue facing beauty therapy salons in the UK, according to a report by HabiaThe report, the Habia skills Survey for the Beauty Therapy Industry 2007, is based on a survey and consultations conducted in late 2006 and early 2007, and provides detailed information on qualifications and skills issues. It shows that 70% of beauty salons do not have a training budget, while 65% do not have a training plan, and 68% cite costs to the employers as the reason. Despite this, 28% of those surveyed had spent between £1,000 and £5,000 on training in the past 12 months. On a more positive note, 77% reported that the minimum wage had not had an impact on their business, while 75% of businesses expected client numbers to grow or at least remain the same for the next 12 months. The report will help Habia to plan initiatives for the future that encourage further growth and create programmes and projects that meet important industry concerns, such as insuring that new recruits have the skills employers require, and that training courses help businesses to develop their staff to meet client demand. The full report is availabe by going to www.habia.org and following the links