Beauty Training Package Project: Complete

SkillsIQ, under the direction of the Personal Services Industry Reference Committee (IRC) and the Skin Therapy and Cosmetic Tattooing Technical Advisory Committees (TACs), is undertaking a comprehensive update of the SHB Beauty Training Package Products.

Background

SkillsIQ, under the direction of the Personal Services Industry Reference Committee (IRC), is undertaking a comprehensive update of the Beauty Training Package Products included in the SHB Hairdressing and Beauty Training Package to increase the level of nationally recognised training in the skin therapy, cosmetic tattooing and spa industries, as well as to reflect the requirements of contemporary job roles.

The key drivers for this review of the Beauty Services training package products were to ensure the qualifications meet the current and future demand of beauty industry roles. The technologies used in beauty treatments have advanced rapidly, and this has meant that technologies and practices are changing even as the training package is being reviewed. Careful attention has been given to skills and knowledge in the areas of:

• modern treatment modalities
• machinery
• advancement in chemical treatments used across all services
• underpinning knowledge of skin and wound healing
• Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
• laser skin treatment
• specialised customer service for the beauty and spa industry, and
• after-treatment care.

The following qualifications have been updated:

• SHB20121 Certificate II in Retail Cosmetics
• SHB30121 Certificate III in Beauty Services
• SHB30221 Certificate III in Make-Up
• SHB30321 Certificate III in Nail Technology
• SHB40121 Certificate IV in Beauty Therapy
• SHB50121 Diploma of Beauty Therapy.

The following new qualifications have been developed to meet current and emerging practice in industry:

• SHB50321 Diploma of Cosmetic Tattooing
• SHB60221 Advanced Diploma of Skin Therapy.

Project Status – Completed

The AISC considered and approved the proposed training package products at its meeting on 19 August 2021.

The Qualifications and Units of Competency were approved and have been endorsed by the State and Territory Skills Ministers. They are now available on training.gov.au. 

IRC Update - SHB Hairdressing and Beauty Training Package 

Unit of Competency
SHBBNLS011 Use electric file equipment for nail services

A number of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) have raised the issue of the unit SHBBNLS011 Use electric file equipment for nail services being included as a prerequisite for all other nails units in the SHB Hairdressing and Beauty Training Package and its addition to the core of the SHB50121 Diploma of Beauty Therapy.

The Personal Services Industry Reference Committee (the IRC) met on Monday 4th April to consider the feedback received and determine if action was required.

This unit was included as a prerequisite for all units pertaining to nail services when the IRC was reviewing Draft 2 feedback and preparing the Final Draft for submission. It was included in the Final Draft that was circulated to State and Territory Training Authorities for consultation prior to submission to the AISC.

The IRC based the decision to include the unit as a prerequisite on the significant risk to the client and operator if this equipment was used incorrectly. This includes damage to the nail or nail bed, as well as risk to the employer in terms of business liability if a staff member harms a client. It was reported that IRC members were aware of operators using the electric files for speed to complete services such as Shellac removal, or to trim cuticles and this was resulting in injury to the client. Therefore, the IRC deemed it important that all learners understood how to correctly use this equipment – both when it was used in a service and also so that they would know when NOT to use it.

Some RTOs have raised that the SHBBNLS011 Use electric file equipment for nail services unit required the application of acrylic nails. The unit itself was updated so that the Performance Evidence did not require the learner to perform a full service for a client, rather to use the file to prepare the nails for other services including French backfills, infills and refills, as well as shortening and re-shaping nails. The requirements for application of artificial nails and removal of product under nails were removed from the updated unit.

It was included in the core of the relevant qualifications where other nail services units were present, due to the prerequisite relationship.

RTOs have also raised the issue of completing the prerequisite SHBBNLS011 Use electric file equipment for nail services unit before other units relating to providing nail services. It was noted that the Training Package Products Policy states:

2.2 Units of Competency - pre-requisites

2.2.1. A pre-requisite unit is a unit of competency in which the learner must be assessed as competent prior to the determination of competency in the subsequent unit.

The ASQA website further confirms this, stating in relation to an RTOs requirements for ensuring students have completed necessary prerequisites:

Note that a training provider can enrol a learner in a prerequisite unit of competency without proper evidence, but cannot award that dependent unit until evidence that the prerequisite unit has been obtained.

Based on the above, the RTO can approach delivery of the prerequisite in two ways:

1. Deliver the unit as a stand alone unit and award competency at the completion of the unit and use this as evidence of the completion of the prerequisite; or

2. The RTO can enrol the learner in the prerequisite unit as well as other nail services units and co-deliver the units, as long as competency in the prerequisite is confirmed and awarded before awarding competency in any subsequent units.

It is understood that some RTOs have a policy not to enrol learners in subsequent units until the prerequisite unit is complete, however, this is a business decision of that RTO. As above, it is not something that is mandated or required by policy and as such does not present a barrier to delivery.

Based on careful consideration and discussion of the above points, and with particular note to the health and safety of learners and clients, the IRC upheld its decision to include the prerequisite unit and no changes will be made to the Training Package Products on this basis.

Requests for Extended Transition

The IRC also discussed a small number of requests for extended transition to the new SHB Beauty Training Package Products.

It is noted that ASQA and the WA TAC are currently in the process of implementing a slightly extended transition to end on 31/01/23. This is to bring the transition end date into line with the majority of RTO intakes.

The IRC did not agree to support a blanket transition extension for all SHB Beauty Training Package Products in addition to the above.

RTOs are advised to approach their regulator to make application for extended transition for student cohorts who may require additional transition time. These applications and the evidence supporting them would be considered on a case by case basis by the IRC in regard to providing support for requests for extended transition.

Project Governance

This project was overseen by the Personal Services Industry Reference Committee (IRC). The membership of this committee for the duration of this project was as follows:



To inform this review, Cosmetic Tattooing and Skin Therapy Technical Advisory Committees (TACs) were formed to guide the project. The membership of these committees is as follows:

Cosmetic Tattooing



Skin Therapy



Industry Support

The Personal Services IRC would like to thank industry stakeholders for their active engagement in this project and extend special thanks to the members of the TACs for their continued efforts on this project over the past two years.

Further information

For more information, or to discuss, please contact Melinda Brown at melinda.brown@skillsiq.com.au or via telephone at 02 9392 8100.