TAFE NSW is training the next generation of hairdressers and beauticians for the Penrith region by providing students with hands-on, industry-aligned training in the classroom so they can hit the ground running in the region’s busy salons.

As the hair and beauty industry faces a national shortage of skilled workers, salons in the Penrith LGA will be even more desperate for skilled workers with the region expected to grow by 70,000 people over the next 12 years.

Teneil Holland owns one of the newest hair and beauty salons in the area, Luxx Hair and Beauty Co. in Londonderry, with her friend and business partner Lorna, and said the hands-on training at TAFE NSW Kingswood set her up for success from day one.

“TAFE NSW has given me the confidence to communicate effectively with clients and to understand the needs of different people so that I can deliver quality services to anyone who enters my salon,” she said.

“If I didn’t get to experience working on members of the public at TAFE NSW under the guidance of my teachers, I wouldn’t be able to operate my salon.

“Providing hair services on a mannequin is very different to working on real people, who have all sorts of different hair types and head shapes, and a vital part of being a hairdresser is being able to provide services on all clients who walk through the door.”

Having completed a Certificate III in Beauty Services at TAFE NSW last year, Teneil said the flexible study options at TAFE NSW allowed her to upskill with a Certificate III in Hairdressing while operating her business and being mum to her seven and one-year-old children.

“Business is booming for me. We’ve only been open for four months and I’m already employing a team of three beauticians and five hairdressers, and I’m looking to expand into nails soon, too,” she said.

Head Teacher of Hair and Beauty at TAFE NSW Kingswood Melinda Vaughan-Gibson said TAFE NSW students like Teneil are set up to become highly successful in the industry thanks to their hands-on experience with members of the public under the supervision of their TAFE NSW teachers.

“Our jobs as teachers is not just to equip learners with industry readiness, but to make them believe that they can achieve whatever they put their mind to. The energy in the classroom when a learner grasps a new skill is outstanding, and they take that confidence with them into their workplace,” she said.

“The growing demand for high-quality hairdressers and beauticians in the Penrith area means that now is a fantastic time to join the industry by trying something new or upskilling at TAFE NSW.”

Media contact: TAFE NSW Media Centre, MediaRelease@tafensw.edu.au, 02 7920 5000​​​​.