SAAHSP SECOND BEAUTY INDABA

The second Beauty Indaba held at Grayston Gallery on 10 and 11 March 2024, focused on the new education landscape.

With the support and participation of Services SETA, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), and the Association of Private Providers of Education, Training and Development (APPETD), delegates from spas, salons, therapists, schools, and product houses confirmed the need for an ethical, compliant, professional industry. It starts with us all. We can all make a difference by belonging to the professional body SAAHSP.

The Honourable MEC Gadija Brown and Sewende Laan’s Nobuhle Mahlasela were fabulous motivators to start the SAAHSP Second Beauty Indaba. They addressed our competitive, collaborative environment and spoke about the potential of the industry and how we need to manage our own self-care.

Dr Shirley Lloyd from APPETD explained how the industry can tackle the new framework to ensure that we have accredited education offerings aligned within the new framework.

Felicity Kent showcased examples from the professional body for environmental hygiene, which has already aligned skill development within the new landscape. She encouraged recognised training and assessment to meet national and international standard requirements, which need to comply with registered qualifications. Her Professional Body for Environmental Hygiene (PBEH) maintains professional designations by promoting continuing professional development (CPD) for all practitioners. Occupational certificates begin with level 2, a laundry finisher SAQA 117372, up to level 5 Occupational Certificate Contract Manager. This was an ideal example of how the new framework can work. There is plenty of scope and opportunity within the industry to develop new training and education opportunities.

SAQA’s Japie Nel delighted the audience with the announcement that the new qualification for beauty has been released. This step was exactly what everyone was eager to hear and was a follow-up from our previous indaba. Feroza Fakir and her team have been hard at work with the different role players to finalise this step. The new framework within education has the purpose of aligning standards and creating work places. Services Seta indicated that our skills shortage can be addressed with workplace skills plans, which our industry seems to lack. Dr Wynand Goosen explained the need for a skills repository and a developed eco-system to ensure sustainable career development for all learners. With blended e-learning models, recognition of prior learning, especially for therapists who do not have qualifications, we become a more inclusive community and can support the skills shortage.

Yolandé Swanepoel brilliantly explained the need for all professionals within the industry to belong to SAAHSP as a professional body. SAAHSP ensures that therapists are guided on safe practices to protect the public, which is so important. By being accountable, responsible, and acting lawfully, safely, and effectively within the scope designated, therapists are guided by professional body guidelines and ethics. This ensures that therapists only perform within their scope and participate in a continual personal development platform while they list their CPD points within the SAAHSP SKillzbook system. With this professional platform, each member has access to the professional platform to record and maintain their information.

The issue of compliance was covered by Sunette Ansara, who highlighted various reasons why we need legal compliance for our businesses. With the establishment of the new SAAHSP grading system, spas, salons, schools, product houses and suppliers can be acknowledged for excellence while creating trust for consumers. Dr Thembani Mentor highlighted the need for more transformation within the beauty industry and shared insights from her personal journey within the industry. Isabel Roos shared her poignant career journey, and Esna Colyn gave a beautiful testimony on lessons learned within her corporate journey.

The demand for professionalism and ethics within industry was a clear mandate from all attending delegates. A commitment to ethical professionalism and working within scope is needed for the protection of the public. Too many complaints are being received about non-compliant operations and operators.

Where to from here?

Professionalism means all members within the industry belong to SAAHSP. By committing to being accountable and using the role of designations within industry, personal development supports continued learning and builds confidence and trust.

Grading is set to promote staff and assist with designation and skills development to reduce staff shortages and out-of-scope operating staff. With the implementation of grading based on staff competencies, continual personal development, and standards, we automatically promote ethical professionalism within workspaces and reward excellence.

Missing workplace skills plans can support the scarce skills within the industry. Spas and salons need to be encouraged to complete the skills work plans as stated by Services Seta. This will show how many scarce skills the industry has.

Product houses and corporations can support the industry through compliant operations. If they supply qualified staff and only train designated staff, we win half the battle. We need to reduce fly by nights who sell cheap products and train unqualified personnel who can cause damage to the clients.

Internationalisation of the qualifications has to be incorporated into the new qualification as soon as it is published. Collaboration between international companies and Services Seta could be a good alignment to support industry and grow credit worthy schools. This way, we can provide an international qualification that is aligned with the South African qualification.

Congratulations to programme director Feroza Fakir for putting together a thought-provoking conference that certainly encouraged industry to collaborate more. Further breakfast indabas have been planned to support industry needs.

Celeste Peters, communications support, SAAHSP. Freelancer. Ambassador for Global Wellness Day and The Tides Wellness. An educator who is passionate about fairness, ethics and empowerment. Spa auditor and grading and standards consultant.