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Activate Learning is based at City of Oxford College.
Combine creativity with customer focus with a career in beauty therapy.
You will learn the skills and knowledge to progress to a range of exciting careers including technician, creative director, salon manager, teacher/ trainer/ assessor or front of house colleague.
You will attend college full-time, taking part in practical salon and classroom sessions to gain hands-on experience.
We offer qualifications in hair and beauty from Level 1 (equivalent to GCSEs grades D-F or 3-1) to Level 3 (equivalent to A-levels.) Hair and make up artistry qualifications are at Level 3.
Our commercial salons offer you the opportunity to learn the ropes of salon management. The working environment is exactly like that you will find in other commercial salons, featuring hair washing and hair cutting stations and relaxing beauty therapy rooms.
You will have the opportunity to serve paying customers who need a range of treatments. You will develop your technical and employability skills by taking part in work experience at our salons.
A career pathway is a series of building blocks that will take you to your future career. This helps equip you with the skills, attributes and knowledge that future employers want, giving you a greater chance of success.
Our career pathway maps will show you the best routes through college, higher education and employment and into the most popular industry sectors.
Instead of just being in college and learning the treatments, we are out there in real salons, getting to know the customers.”
Our salons at Banbury, Oxford and Reading are run in partnership with Wella, a major haircare and styling company. We also work closely with Dermalogica, a well respected care products company.
We have partnered with a number of local salons, so you will benefit from masterclasses and guest industry speakers in a range of topics.
Miranda Labaurn - Former Beauty Therapy student
When retail assistant Miranda Labaurn decided in her mid-twenties that she needed a change of direction, a career in beauty therapy appealed to her. Miranda become a full-time beauty therapist at the Oxford Lifestyle Centre.
Miranda said: “I had always been interested in beauty and pampering, from nails to massage and everything in between. I just didn’t know how to get into this career, and I didn’t want to lose my financial independence.”
Miranda managed to balance a part-time job in retail with her college programme, and soon developed the technical and personal skills needed to succeed.