As part of the careers programme, the Stephen Longfellow Academy worked in partnership with the Beauty-licious Academy. We invited the CEO of the company, Sinead Garside to speak to our students across both Key stage 3 and Key stage 4. In Key stage 3, the focus was to raise aspirations and in Key stage 4 to have a personalised discussion about how to get into the Beauty industry.
In September, Sinead delivered an assembly to Key stage 3 students around her journey from having a difficult start in life to becoming a successful Beautician with her own business. Within the assembly, key messages were provided such as: the importance of skills needed in the workplace, the need for good attendance, the need for positive behaviour, what is resilience, and outcomes that will all lead to having a successful future.
For Key stage 4 students, bespoke sessions were set up with small groups of students who were considering the Beauty industry as a post 16 option. The sessions were delivered in October and focused on entry into the Beauty profession via apprenticeships, courses, and training. Sinead discussed the day in the life of a Beautician and the pros and cons of the industry, as well as the future of Beauty. This was all completed through a question-and-answer session with students.
Both pieces of work were well received by students. Feedback from students was positive and students said they enjoyed the personalised sessions and learned what working in the sector was like. One student commented below:
“I didn’t know too much about the increase in aesthetics jobs before” Year 11 Student
“I learned there are lots of different ways to get into Beauty.” Year 10 Student
Sinead also spoke very positively about the students engagement at The Stephen Longfellow Academy.
“I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for the young ladies attentiveness and enthusiasm during our recent careers talk in the beauty industry. It was truly inspiring to see how well you all listened and absorbed all the information shared. Your level of engagement was exceptional, and it made the session even more rewarding for me as a speaker. It was evident that you were genuinely interested in learning about the beauty industry and exploring potential career paths within it. I was impressed by the ability to actively listen and take in every detail that was presented. Thank you, ladies, for your exceptional listening skills and eagerness to learn about the beauty industry. It was a pleasure meeting you all and I am confident that you will all go on to achieve great things in the beauty industry.”
Sinead Connor CEO Beauty-licious Academy
The Stephen Longfellow Academy will continue to work with the Beauty-licious academy to support its students and is looking forward to the Beauty-licious academy offering our Year 10 students work experience placements for our students in June 2024 at their Hunslet office.