Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Hairdressing Courses - What Is A Foundation Degree and Apprenticeship

By Toni Moretti

If you are entering the world of hairdressing then you will soon become familiar with the term Foundation degrees. It is imperative that hairdressing students gain as much knowledge and develop the necessary skills to make them competent and successful within the industry. This is where the Foundation degrees comes into play because they offer higher education qualifications. The basis for this is a partnership with potential employers to see that the student is meeting the standards and criteria of the Industry.

The foundation degree is flexible which really meets the needs of all potential students. It can be taken either on a full time or part time basis. This goes a long way in affording the individual who is currently working to embark on another career without having to quit their current job. This reduces much of the financial burden that is often placed on a student.

The courses that are within the Foundation degrees are structured to ensure that they are pertinent to the Industry which in this case in Hairdressing. The Foundation degree is a joint venture between the educational directors and the potential employers. This type of partnership insures that the level of training being offered meet the requirements of the present time demands. The knowledge is not becoming stale or outdated. As the student is learning the textbook theory, they are also gaining the practical or hands on knowledge in the salon environment. This type of training seems to far enhance the learning abilities of the student. Being able to put into practice what one is learning is a definite advantage to education.

Being involved in an agreed partnership like this means that the employer is fully aware of the student requirements, such as needing time off to write exams for example. This reduces the stress of the student having to approach an outside employer for time off.

As we mentioned this Program has either full time or part time options. Students that have competed their first level or A Level at College find it a great opportunity to progress from the completion of their college segment right into this program. If this is the choice then it will take two years to fully complete the foundation degree. This is naturally a much quicker method for the student to attain their overall goal of becoming a hairdresser.

There are some students though that cannot utilize the full time program because of various reasons. For example, they may be in the midst of a career changes and finances require they continue working at an unrelated job while in training for their new chosen career of hairdressing. This means the end goal will not be met until approximately 3-4 years, depending on the time availability of the student.

Beyond this degree, the graduate can venture onto an Honors degree if they wish to advance within the industry. This doesn?t take as long as one would think; in fact, it can be achieved within 12-15 months.

This type of training partnership opens the doors for many individuals desiring to become a hairdresser that would not under normal circumstances have the same opportunity. - 16887

About the Author:

No comments: