Do you need a Requlated Qualification?
The answer is no, unless you do!
You have received training, become accredited, gained insurance, grown a business and now you want to progress to another level. Maybe, work with a product company, embark on some additional training, apply for a career opportunity or even become an educator yourself. Suddenly, you’re being told that you’re not qualified……… Now what?
You definitely don’t want to or need to go back to the beginning, but you don’t know if what you’re doing and what you know is what you should know and be doing!
Don’t panic, we have the solution. We can help you gain a regulated qualification without going back to the beginning.
Building upon your current skills, knowledge & behaviours, our assessors can create a bespoke development plan for you to access the required training, development & assessment in order to gain a City & Guilds qualification.
We offer City & Guilds VRQ qualifications at levels 2, 3 & 4 in beauty therapy, nail technology & complementary therapies.

Ava the Accredited Nail Technician
Ava is a seasoned nail technician with several years of experience working from home. She holds multiple accredited certificates for different beauty treatments and services. However, Ava wants to take her career to the next level by becoming licensed and joining a specific membership organization that offers advanced training opportunities. She needs a regulated qualification to meet the requirements of the organization and enhance her professional standing. We can help Ava by assessing her existing skills and knowledge, matching them to the required national occupational standards, and providing her with the necessary regulated qualification.

Noah the Ambitious Spa Therapist
Noah is a dedicated spa therapist who has been working at a renowned spa resort for several years. He is qualified in most skills and has completed in-house training programs in body scrubs, hot stone massage, and aromatherapy massage, which were provided by his current employer through brand training. Noah aspires to expand his career opportunities and potentially work in different spa settings or even establish his own practice. To achieve his goals, Noah understands the importance of having recognized qualifications that validate his expertise in hot stone and aromatherapy massage. We can support Noah by assessing his in-house training, aligning it with the national occupational standards, and providing him with regulated qualifications that he can showcase to prospective employers or use for independent insurance.

Emily the Entrepreneurial Salon Owner
Emily was an educator and assessor before becoming a successful beauty salon owner. She takes the process of professional progression seriously and takes pride in developing her staff, preferring to train and assess them herself rather than send them to external training providers. Emily wants her employees to have regulated qualifications that enhance their professional credibility and provide reassurance to clients, making it more secure for professional indemnity insurance, however, issuing regulated qualifications is a costly business and Emily doesn’t have time for the additional paperwork. We can support Emily by working with her to ensure compliance and issue regulated qualifications as part of the ISN sub-center offering, while staying within the salon’s training framework.

Louise Searles
Founder & Director of Education
How am I qualified to help you?
Having started my career as a hairdresser & beauty therapist in 1996, working in salons and spas, I set up my own business at the age of 22. Becoming fully booked within the salon led me to seek a new challenge and after accepting an offer to mentor some students within a college, knew that teaching was my destiny. After 3 years of retraining, I took on the role of full-time lecturer within Further & Higher Education and was introduced to the world of examining for City & Guilds, followed by verification once the NVQ in beauty therapy was established. Holding the post of Regional Lead Verifier for hair & beauty within the City & Guilds organisation, brought me in contact with many inspiring and motivational people, encouraging me to create my own beauty therapy training provision in 2001.
Throughout my career in education, I have always sought to find alternatives, someone once referred to it as ‘zigging whilst everyone else was zagging’, which I feel is spot on. My favourite word is ‘Why’ which must have been really annoying for my tutors and parents, however has allowed me to challenge the way things are done by others and find alternatives. My aim within my organisations is always to ‘find the need and fill it. I truly believe there is a need within our industry to help people find a Route to Regulated qualifications and I am delighted that our network will be able to help you.
How do I know that I have the required knowledge?
During the inital information and guidance session, we will explore your prior learning and experience and I will be able to provide you with an individual learning plan. Once you start your journey, you will be provided with a Therapy Learning Resource support package containing all the knowledge & skills information you need to ensure you know what you need to know.
Who will be my assessor?
Our assessors are qualified and masters within their field. The aim it to link you with an assessor no further than an hour’s drive, however, we understand that this is an ambitious target!
How long will the process take?
This does depend on you! The learning resources and assignments need to be completed so it depends on how much time you can dedicate to this. The support package contains health & safety, professional standards, anatomy & physiology as well as technical skills. You need to have the program signed off before progressing to the practical assessment.
What if I can't see an assessor within reasonable travelling distance?
We are recruiting suitable assessors on a weekly basis. Our aim is that you won’t have to travel more than an hour to get to your assessment site, however, this may not be possible for some locations or skill areas. If you contact us, we will make your requirements a priority. In the meantime, you can complete the theory part of the qualification if you wish.
What if I can't see an assessor within reasonable travelling distance?
We are recruiting suitable assessors on a weekly basis. Our aim is that you won’t have to travel more than an hour to get to your assessment site, however, this may not be possible for some locations or skill areas. If you contact us, we will make your requirements a priority. In the meantime, you can complete the theory part of the qualification if you wish.
How much will this cost?
There are 2 costs involved. The first is the learning support fee which is £125-£175 depending on the unit. This includes all theory assessments, certification & support, and is active for six months.
The second cost is paid to your skills assessor for the practical assessments, charged at £150 per day
How many practical assessments will I need?
This will depend on the technical unit you are converting, however, we aim to create a situation where you will need 1-2 assessment days.
I am worried that I wont pass a practical assessment
This is natural to doubt your skills, however, we truly believe that most accredited trainers teach a good standard of techniques. If you are concerned, we can arrange a skills mentor to watch your treatments through a Zoom link and offer any pre-assessment support and guidance. There is an additional £25 charge for this additional service.