University of Greenwich Trains Salon Managers for Success
The University of Greenwich has teamed up with top hairdressers L’Oreal to offer a new Foundation Degree in Salon Management with Bexley College, the first in the UK to focus solely on the business aspects of the hairdressing industry.
The programme will offer professionals in the hair and beauty industry a chance to develop their business and management skills, and has been developed in close partnership with L’Oreal and industry body Habia.
Students on the course will study at the L’Oreal Professional Products Division International Academy in Hammersmith one day a week, working in their existing jobs in L’Oreal and Toni & Guy salons the rest of the time.
They will learn how to manage everything from staff, safety and budgets to attracting customers and knowing their market. The course will provide students with business management skills tailored to the needs of the industry, to enable them to successfully manage salons. At the end of the programme students will be able to ‘top up’ to a BA in a business related subject with further study.
Manni Mathasu works for Cutting Room Creative in Leeds, and will travel to London each week to attend teaching at L’Oreal headquarters. She says: “When my managers offered me the chance to attend this course, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I recently moved from working in the salon reception to the office, and I’m looking forward to learning more about running a salon.”
Colin Jones, from the School of Business at the University of Greenwich says: “This is a unique course, intended to build up the profile of professionals in the hair and beauty industry. Working closely with employers we’ve been able to develop a programme which will allow students to put something back into their organisations immediately.”
Colin developed the programme with Monica Or, Programme Leader at Bexley College, and Robert Soutar, National Account Controller for L’Oreal Professional Products Division. Robert says: “In a competitive business environment, running a salon is more than just about doing a good hair cut. The potential to improve the business side of the hairdressing industry as a whole is enormous, and this course is for hairdressers who are passionate about hair, but want their salon to be a highly successful business also.”
Alan Goldsbro, CEO of Habia, praised the new programme, saying: “I am extremely excited about the new salon management foundation degree, and proud of the part that Habia has played in its development. Every year we see so many salons fail, not because of a lack of talent or drive, but simply because people aren’t familiar with the complexities of running a salon, this course will help cement the future of the industry.”
The first cohort of students visited the University of Greenwich this week to register, allowing them to take advantage of all the facilities open to students at the university.
People interested in returning to education, or developing their careers through programmes tailored to their industry can take part in free taster and introductory sessions to find out more about foundation degrees. Employers wishing to help their employees develop can also find out more about opportunities at the University of Greenwich by contacting Foundation for Success: f4s@gre.ac.uk
For more information on business courses at the University of Greenwich, visit www.gre.ac.uk or call 0800 005 006.
ENDS
For more information:
Kathryn Jones
Public Relations
University of Greenwich
Tel: 020 8331 9420
E-mail: k.a.jones@gre.ac.uk