VTCT centre, International Beauty & Holistic Academy (IBHA), has been rewarded by the hospitality industry for their beauty therapy apprenticeship scheme, in partnership with the Eden Hotel Collection.
The Elan Spa Academy provides a chance for talented aspiring beauty therapists to earn as they learn, and the partnership, also sponsored by ESPA, won the best Emerging Talent Initiative at the Caterer.com People Awards 2019.
The awards recognise the bravest and best talent initiatives in the UK hospitality industry, with the Emerging Talent Initiative specifically recognising those that push boundaries, nurture talent early on and deliver measurable results.
It was in this category that the Eden Hotel Collection was recognised for its innovative academy, launched last year to provide a new beauty therapy apprenticeship scheme, benefitting from additional product and treatment training from ESPA.
A year on, the Academy has proved to be a great triumph, with the first therapists graduating successfully and double the intake of apprentices planned for 2019-2020. The Eden Hotel Collection and IBHA are understandably proud to have had this success recognised with the new award.
Lisa Redding, Head of HR at the Eden Hotel Collection, comments: “We developed the Elan Spa Academy as a new concept to nurture our own talent within the Eden Hotel Collection, giving gifted young people an opportunity to earn whilst learning and progress via an apprenticeship route. Breaking the stigma around apprenticeships is hugely important in tackling the skill shortages across the hospitality and beauty industries and we’re delighted to be recognised for our part in this.
“This programme has proved, in just one year, that the right approach and commitment from an employer can unlock many individual success stories. Our recent first graduates are testament to this – they are already proving to be some of our strongest therapists.”
Julie Speed, Director of Gloucester based IBHA agrees: “We’re absolutely thrilled with the successful graduates who have worked really hard over the last year. Although they’ve only just graduated, because they have been getting training at the same time as working, they are now experienced therapists and that’s fantastic. Our aim has always been to have people with commerciality, who can work to the right time frames within the spa, whilst getting a supporting hand during training from an experienced team, ensuring that they continue to deliver a high quality service.”