Spa+Clinic Team Aesthetics education bodies are urging industry professionals to rally to lodge their concern at the Federal Government’s plan to discontinue the current VET FEE Help scheme as of December 2016, which provides funding for thousands of students in the VET sector.
“Courses funded under the VET FEE Help program will be cut from over 800 to just 347, with courses such as hairdressing no longer receiving funding,” says Sherelle French, director of The French Beauty Academy.
“These changes not only affect the amount of funding VET available to students, but also the number of courses available that result in the creation of amazing career outcomes.
“Beauty therapy has been placed on the skill eligibility list at a funding cap of $10,000, along with nursing.
“At this level of funding for beauty it will almost make it impossible for hundreds of lower-socio economic or disadvantaged students to be able to afford to study as there will need to be a co-payment to the provider.
“The amount of funding the Government has allocated to the Diploma of Beauty Therapy dramatically reduces our ability to provide a quality education experience and excellent graduate outcomes for students.
“Newly created courses such as Advanced Diploma programs in Dermal and Cosmetic Sciences and Graduate Certificates in IPL and laser, which provide incredible pathways into the lucrative and billion medi-spa industry are also not funded.”
Education Minister Simon Birmingham told The Sydney Morning Herald: “Currently there are far too many courses that are being subsidised that are used simply to boost enrolments or provide ‘lifestyle’ choices but don’t lead to work.”
Sherelle French says she is devastated by the move.
“Currently Australia’s training providers are in the process of lobbying the Government to increase the funding cap available for the Diploma of Beauty Therapy and ask for our the advanced specialist courses in our field to added to the list.
“After all we have campaigned in our industry for years around the provision of quality and rigorous training it devastates me to think that students won’t be able to afford to study and progress their careers in this wonderful industry
“If a young woman has the academic results that allow entry to university she can choose to study in whichever field she chooses and access funding of up to $100,000. Under this new program, if the student wants to choose to study in the VET sector her funding and study options are now significantly limited and she is disadvantaged in relation to her more ‘academic’ counterpart.
“Beauty therapy attracts the most marginalised and at-risk group of women who, for a large portion of them, are the first person in their family to have completed a post-secondary qualification.
“As they are unable to make a co-payment to their education while studying this entire group now will be disadvantaged and without access to adequate funding and will have limited access to education.
“One of the original purposes of VET FEE-HELP was to provide post-secondary skilled based training and equality of access to higher education at all levels in Australia. The reduction of funding at the VET level for any specific qualification will be a definitive statement by the government that they do not support equity of access for all levels of education, especially in this case or marginalised women.
“Andrew Norton, an expert in income-contingent student loans, reported in The Australian newspaper in October this year that female students would be the most affected through no fault of their own.”
Sherelle is urging aesthetics industry professionals to help the cause.
“Together we are stronger,” she says. “With the beauty and wellness industry at $3.4 trillion globally the skills shortage for qualified graduates in this incredible industry has never been greater and it is my hope that our industry will come together and demand the government invest in the next generation of our industry.
“The Government is taking feedback from the public about the draft eligible course list and feedback MUST be in by no later than this coming Sunday, October 23, to be considered.
“Please click here to sign the industry petition to go to the Minister. Let’s protect the future of our industry!”
