A Legacy of Beauty.

By Louise May

The French Beauty Academy was established in 1986 (initially Gold Coast Training Academy) as one of Australia’s first government-registered beauty academies.

They take pride in being recognised as one of Australia’s first government-registered beauty academies, with a rich history of delivering high-quality vocational training and producing world-class graduates for over 37 years.

Under the direction of The French Family since 2010, they have grown to become the largest beauty trainer provider in Australia. Their vision is to revolutionise vocational education through their dedication to the transformative power of learning, self-development, and empowerment.

They are determined to disrupt traditional delivery models of VET education and are deeply committed to making The French Beauty Academy the best place in the world to study.

Beauty Biz Editor Louise May delves into the story of this educational powerhouse, committed to shaping the future of beauty education in Australia.

Can you tell us more about The French Beauty Academy’s unique transformative approach to education and how it sets your graduates apart in the beauty industry?

While our commitment to excellence in education is at the core of everything we do, the heartbeat of our business is one of transformation. Our mission is to harness the power of the ripple effect that happens when one person decides to invest in themselves and their future and the subsequent impact this has.

We have an ambitious goal to ensure our students are studying at the world’s premier beauty academy, and Être bien dans sa peau is our mission – to become ‘comfortable in one’s skin.’

This mission is at the core of our commitment to every student – to groom them as individuals, to recognise their personal potential and give them the very best life and learning experiences.

We share this philosophy with our students in everything we do; teaching them to embrace the beauty within themselves and in those whose lives they touch.

Our graduates inherently appreciate that working in the beauty industry is a privilege and a passion; that the true essence of what we do is to help others find the beauty within by nurturing their self-esteem, elevating their confidence, and reviving their energy.

That we have the power to open hearts, inspire minds and transform lives. This means our students graduate confident, job ready and equipped with the essential personal attributes and premium standards anticipated by patrons in a luxury service environment.

The Diamond Standard Service Excellence program is mentioned as a key element in preparing students for work in luxury salon environments. Could you elaborate on the specific components of this program and how it contributes to the students’ confidence and job readiness?

Our Service Excellence program takes diploma students beyond learning the practical skills of beauty therapy and salon management.

The holistic personal and professional development curriculum encompasses teaching the value of presentation, language, etiquette, diamond communication skills, deportment, self-awareness, manners, grace, service standards and work ethic. Importantly, it guides each student’s inner journey to self-knowledge, self-awareness, and genuine concern for the welfare of others.

The program’s intention is to help students recognise their personal potential and give them the very best life and learning experiences alongside their practitioner training.

By completing the program, students graduate confident, job ready and equipped with the essential personal attributes and premium standards anticipated by patrons in a luxury service environment. This ensures our graduates are the preferred choice for beauty, health and wellness practitioners in the salon, retail, and medi-spa sectors.

Can you tell us about ‘The Future of Beauty’ program?

There is an overwhelming demand for industry-ready graduates who are trained in the latest aesthetic treatments, devices, and modalities. This demand is driven by the significant growth in the sector.

In January 2023, we forged partnerships with the leading names in skin and device technologies to co-develop an industry leading and cutting-edge program called ‘The Future of Beauty.’ This groundbreaking initiative, a first in the Australian VET industry, effectively bridges the gap between training and employment, guaranteeing that French graduates are equipped with the skills needed for the beauty jobs of tomorrow.

The leaders in industry sponsoring the program include HydraFacial, Emsculpt Body Contouring by BTL, Observ520X Skin Imaging by The Global Beauty Group, Omnilux LED Light Therapy by Device Consulting, triLift Dynamic Muscle Stimulation (DMStTM) by Lumenis, Dermapen4 Collagen Induction Therapy by DermapenWorld & Inskin Cosmedics, Laser Hair Reduction GMAX Pro Plus by Candela Medical and BBL HERO Skin Rejuvenation by Sciton.

Our students gain a highly competitive edge by having access to latest research, advanced skin knowledge and practical experience delivering advanced cosmeceuticals treatments with Dermaceutic Skin Resurfacing Peels by Dermocosmetica, and growing consumer beauty categories such as Bi-Directional and Ingestible Beauty with Vida Glow.

Each Official Education Partner has been carefully selected for integration into the curriculum based on their industry leading, ground-breaking technology, clinical research, and united commitment to educating the next generation of beauty professionals.

Not only will students be trained in all the core fundamentals of beauty therapy, but they can also now discover their speciality area of interest and learn on industry-leading device technologies and the newest skin treatment modalities.

Co-developed and jointly delivered with The French education faculty, the industry partner’s research, technology, and clinical protocols are integrated into learning materials, providing our students with hands-on access to the device and/or product, with the partner’s head clinical training teams.

The Future of Beauty is delivered within the nationally recognised and accredited SHB50121 Diploma of Beauty and SHB50216 Diploma of Salon Management.

This all-encompassing qualification arms students with the knowledge, skills and experience required to be an exceptional beauty therapist and important business understandings to know how to manage or open a clinic or salon, breeding the next generation of beauty entrepreneurs.

The French Luminaries Series seems like a fantastic initiative. How have interactions with female entrepreneurs and leaders in the industry impacted your students?

At The French Beauty Academy our educational philosophy centres around the belief that if you educate one woman you can positively impact entire communities.

Our Luminaries program brings together experts in our industry to share their wisdom and insights with our students. These trailblazing women aren’t afraid to think big, challenge traditional ways of thinking and have the desire to help others ‘turn on their light’.

This initiative allows our students networking opportunities, insider knowledge and entrepreneurial tips while highlighting the power of connections between women and how someone’s network can positively influence the direction of her life and achievement of their goals.

We are excited to share that commencing in 2024, we welcome the female founders behind SSKIN, Amy and Emilee Hembrow. In a series of masterclasses hosted by the trailblazing duo, students will take a deep dive into the intricacies of business, branding, social media marketing, interview strategies, the art of cultivating dream teams and fostering a positive work culture.

The Hembrow sisters will share their contemporary industry knowledge and business acumen, ensuring French students have exclusive networking access to real-world entrepreneurs who will share their success stories.

We cannot wait to delve into their stories of trials and triumphs and see our Frenchies inspired with entrepreneurial confidence.

The French Beauty Academy is actively involved in charitable work through Captivating International and RizeUp. How does your commitment to these causes align with the academy’s mission?

Our Charitable initiatives have been developed in the pursuit of empowering and educating women both here in Australia and abroad to give women access to holistic education and qualifications, employment, self-empowerment, and financial literacy.

With our efforts and contributions, we aim to extend the gift of education and employment opportunities to extraordinary women, allowing them to embark on a path of transformation and fulfillment, creating a legacy of empowerment and impact.

Each year we host our annual STOP TRAFFICKING RUN - held across our three campuses. We have been overwhelmed with the support we have received by our Frenchies and the wider community. Our goal was to save 1000 girls from being trafficked by the end of 2020. Since then, we have raised over $122,168.93 for Captivating International, and our impact has been greater that we could’ve dreamed.

Bloom By The French, is a customisable, scalable learning solution centre for industry, can you please tell us more about this? Who is it for and why?

Today’s modern dermal clinics need to ensure they deliver a high quality, safe service in a growing and evolving aesthetics market. Alongside this, attraction and retention of staff is a growing area of focus for clinics to meet consumer expectation and demand.

As Australia’s largest beauty training provider, we are uniquely placed to support businesses of all sizes with their learning and professional development needs.

BLOOM aims to help clinics and salons grow their business through attracting, training, and retaining their staff by providing training solutions for individual and enterprise organisations encompassing certifications, regulated, nonregulated, accredited, and non-accredited courses tailored to the beauty and aesthetics industry.

Can you highlight key aspects of the diploma of Beauty Therapy training package and how it addresses the industry’s evolving needs?

Today beauty therapy is so much more than traditional salon services.The requirement for therapists to be educated and competent in new technologies and treatments as well as possess skills and experience that gives them a competitive edge has never been greater.

Not satisfied with the basics of beauty therapy, we want to ensure our students are trained for the beauty jobs of today and tomorrow. In addition to the Government Beauty Therapy Training package and more traditional beauty service areas, we have innovated our Diploma offering to include the Diploma of Salon Management as well cutting-edge training in the latest skin therapies and treatments.

This ensures our students have the highest standard of currency and industry readiness for their chosen career in beauty therapy, as well as the management and entrepreneurial skills to manage and lead beauty businesses.

How has student feedback influenced the evolution of your programs?

As part of our driver for excellence we are passionate about ensuring both our student and industry voice is heard and feedback implemented to ensure we are providing a curriculum that meets the needs of our students and employers.

For example, in 2022 The Academy went through a thorough review of our flagship Beauty Diploma program to ensure areas of study provided graduates with the very best job opportunities and training was tailored to meet student needs and job outcomes. What resulted from this process was The Future of Beauty program and the development of our Australian-first curriculum with industry to include the most cutting-edge training in the latest skin therapies and treatments.

Can you tell us more about your non-accredited short courses, what do you offer and who are they for?

The beauty industry is forever and rapidly changing with new treatments, services, and trends. We offer both accredited and non-accredited short courses to ensure our students have access to current training and indemand services for example eyelash lift and volume lashes. These short, focused programs help bring students up to date with the latest trends, techniques, and technologies.

Generally, these short courses are designed to suit every skill level and allow students to study after hours. Beginners with an interest in beauty can take the very first steps in industry and explore their passion, and professionals can build upon their skill set and expertise in particular areas of interest.

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