If you are planning on running short courses, then you can look at the following accreditors:
Professional Beauty
ABT Insurance
Centre of CPD Excellence
CPD UK
The Guild
BABTAC
FHT
If you wish to run masterclasses, online training or workshops and your students might not need accredited training you may consider:
CPD endorsement by one of the many companies available in the UK
HABIA Endorsement
BABTAC
Centre of CPD Excellence
CPD UK
Or just issue your own in-house qualification with no endorsements.
Should you want to offer courses linked to the National Occupational Standards such as NVQs then you will need to look into the following course providers:
VTCT
City & Guilds
CIBTAC
FHT
Professional Beauty
To obtain accreditation with Professional Beauty you will need the following:
Certificate of your teaching qualification
Copies of certificates that need to be a minimum of NVQ level.2 or equivalent in the subject or treatment you wish to teach or an NVQ level 3 for advanced treatments.
Course syllabus should include the length of the course and any pre-requisites that you require for a student to attend the course.
Any manuals or textbooks that you will be using during the course. This should cover health and safety, anatomy and physiology, contraindications, aftercare, contra-actions and patch testing methods.
A copy of the certificate you will be issuing to your students and details on how you will assess the training.
A minimum of 1 year claim free experience in all treatments or 2 years claims free experience for advanced treatments.
Fees:
The fee for set up is £100 and then £25 a year after this.
Pros:
Great customer service
Only accredit courses in the hair, beauty & holistic sector.
Lowest accreditation fees
Easy application process
Set industry pre-requisites that academies must follow in order to train students.
Cons:
Limited to regular beauty courses only, advanced courses and aesthetic courses can’t be accredited
Trainers need a minimum of level 3 beauty therapy to teach
Students can only obtain insurance through Professional Beauty
Only recognised in the UK
https://online.professionalbeautydirect.co.uk/blog/accredited-trainer-blog
ABT Insurance
To obtain accreditation with ABT Insurance you will need to provide the following:
Download their accreditation pack off their website and fill in three forms about your academy, courses and syllabus.
You will need to submit lesson plans and course manuals for every course you wish to be accredited.
Copy of your teaching qualification.
Copy of certificate you will be issuing your students.
Insurance cover may be required with ABT for teaching purposes.
Fees:
The fees are:
Up to 10 courses £250
Up to 15 courses £400
Up to 20 courses £500
Over 20 courses £600
After the initial accreditation, each additional course will cost £40 to accredit.
There are no renewal fees as the initial cost is a lifetime fee, however, you MUST remain insured by ABT Insurance, or there will be a fee to pay.
Pros:
Application is online
Once fees are paid the accreditation is for life
Only accredit courses in the hair, beauty & holistic sector.
Set industry pre-requisites that academies must follow in order to train students.
Cons:
No phone number to contact the accreditation team
Are notorious for losing applications, and being very disorganised
Students can only get insured by ABT
Accreditation only recognised in the UK
Academy has to be insured with ABT or an additional annual fee will be charged
Some popular treatments are not covered for accreditation such as ultrasound.
https://www.abtinsurance.co.uk/accreditation.jsp
The Guild
I find more and more academies are coming away from The Guild over recent years due to costs and certain elements of control they impose on your training courses. They have 30 set courses that cover the basic beauty and holistic treatments and these all have set guided learning hours, pre-written lesson plans and manuals. The certification isn’t instant, and you must submit it to the guild where it will be sent digitally to the student. If the student wants a hard copy, they must pay £15 to The Guild. Students must also be registered with The Guild at the cost of £25 before enrolling on any Guild courses.
To be accredited by The Guild you will need:
To be a member of The Guild
To be qualified in the subjects you wish to teach for a minimum of 6 months.
To hold a recognised training or teaching qualification.
Insurance cover for teaching.
Only accredit courses in the hair, beauty & holistic sector.
Copies of your training manuals for non-GTi courses.
Fees:
£55 annual fee to be a Guild member
£295 Fee payable annually.
£55 to accredit any non GTi courses per course.
£25 fee paid by the student to The Guild before starting any training course to register.
£15 per student per certificate if they wish to have a hard copy.
Pros:
They supply training manuals and online theory to support your courses
Cons:
Students must register with the Guild before training with your company
Academy and trainers must be Guild members
Certificates cannot be given to students instantly and must come from Guild themselves in the form of a digital file sent to the student.
Students must pay an extra £15 for a hard copy of their certificate.
Limited to more basic courses.
Students are limited to being insured only by the Guild.
Many trainers are unhappy with the manuals provided.
BABTAC
To be accredited by BABTAC you will need:
To submit the form from their website together with;
A copy of your public liability insurance
copy of your teaching insurance
Copies of your CV for each Tutor delivering training
Scheme of work for courses over 2 days long.
Copies of your health and safety policies and risk assessments.
Lesson plans for the courses you want accrediting.
Copies of your course manuals.
Copy of your academy’s terms and conditions.
15-minute teaching video of you providing a lesson covering theory.
To meet their criteria in respect of health and safety, resources and classroom set up.
Copies of your equal opportunities statement and other relevant policies.
Your refund and complaints procedure
Fees:
£242 for one course
£325 for three courses
£640 for 10 courses
£72 for each additional course
£295 site visit fee if delivering high-risk courses.
An annual renewal fee of £249 is required.
Pros:
BABTAC have a worldwide presence so certificates may be valid outside of the UK.
Great customer service.
Strict criteria for acceptance so accreditation is regarded as a mark of quality.
Course accredited by BABTAC is seen to be of high quality.
Only accredit courses in the hair, beauty & holistic sector.
Cons:
High accreditation fees initially.
Your trainers will need to be BABTAC members.
Site visit needed for high-risk courses.
Harder application process that requires a video of you delivering a course.
Students can only obtain insurance through BABTAC
https://www.babtac.com/training
HABIA
HABIA use the term endorsement for their accreditation process. You will need to check with them and main insurers if they will recognise training endorsed by HABIA. They have several options available to you and they credit CPD points to courses you deliver. I have been an approved centre for HABIA and personally didn’t get out of it what I expected. For such a large authority in the industry in the UK a clearer structure and more widely accepted accreditation system would be more beneficial to therapists and training academies alike. However, when it comes to further endorse your centres status or if you require CPD points for workshops, online courses or masterclasses then HABIA will be an excellent choice. There are three ways you can have your centre or courses endorsed by HABIA, I will briefly cover the main two, these are:
Approved Provider
Approved Provider status covers HABIA. Recognising your courses and approving and promoting them and allowing you to use the Habia Approved provider logo on your course promotion and marketing materials.
Habia Approved Provider status will be awarded upon completion of the relevant paperwork which will be sent to you on receipt of your application and fee.
FEES:
• £226.80 Per annum
Endorsed Provider
As a Habia Recognised Provider, you are showing to potential clients that you are performing to the highest standard in your industry and giving yourself the edge within a highly competitive and saturated market.
Habia Recognised Provider status will be awarded upon completion of the relevant paperwork and meeting the criteria which will be sent to you on receipt of your application and fee.
FEES:
Single Course Endorsement £480 inc VAT
Single Workshop Endorsement £300 inc VAT
Single Other Endorsement £240 inc VAT
Multiple Course endorsement (1 year), up to 20, £813 inc VAT
Multiple Course endorsement (2 years), up to 20, £1626 inc VAT
Endorsed Training Centre 1 Course £180 inc VAT
Endorsed Training Centre 3 Course £360 inc VAT
Endorsed Training Centre Unlimited £600 inc VAT
Single Course Renewal £300 inc VAT
Single Other Renewal £192 inc VAT
Single Workshop Renewal £216 inc
Pros:
Industry recognised.
Accreditation accepted by several insurance providers.
High standards required in accepting and endorsing academies
Only accredit courses in the hair, beauty & holistic sector.
Cons:
High accreditation fees initially.
Harder application process than other accreditors.
CPD UK
CPD UK are an independent accreditation service working across all sectors. CPD accreditation is usually accepted by all insurers that do not have an independent accreditation service.
What you will need to submit:
Completed application form.
Copies of all learning material given to students during the course.
Lesson plans and scheme of work.
Copies of your certificates.
Copies of your policies and procedures.
FEES:
5 Courses - £1045 + VAT per year
10 Courses - £1596 + VAT per year
20 Courses - £2145 + VAT per year
30 Courses - £3135 + VAT per year
50 Courses - £3795 + VAT per year
120 Courses - £4950 + VAT per year
Pros:
Accepted by many more mainstream insurance providers.
Accept more high risk, aesthetic and invasive training courses.
The application process ensures strict criteria, giving credibility to the brand.
Cons:
Very expensive annual fees per course.
They issue the certificates, so students may need to wait to receive them.
The CPD Accreditation Group
Like CPD UK these are an independent accreditation provider across many service sectors. What will you need to submit:
Completed application form.
Copies of all learning material given to students during the course.
Lesson plans and scheme of work.
Copies of your certificates.
Copies of your policies and procedures.
FEES:
Free to register your training academy
1-5 Courses for 2 years - £999.84 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
1-5 Courses for 1 year - £624.96 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
6-10 Courses for 2 years - £1,666.56 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
6-10 Courses for 1 year - £1,042.60 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
11-20 Courses for 2 years - £1,944.40 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
11-20 Courses for 1 year - £1,458.36 + VAT (spread over monthly instalments)
Pros:
Cost can be spread over monthly instalments.
Possibly recognised worldwide.
Easy application process.
Accept more high risk, invasive treatment training courses.
Cons:
Free registration only includes the registration of your academy and not the courses.
Can be quite expensive the more courses you have to accredit.
No requirements for trainers in regards to minimum teaching qualifications or professional qualifications.
No set pre-requisites for students to attend an academies course.
Many students are avoiding academies accredited by this company as they have no formal standards or requirements to be accredited.
No support for students that have had bad training and are unable to gain insurance.
As they insure high risk procedures and online courses that involve invasive procedures, Insurers are now cautious to insure courses accredited by this company.
Centre of CPD Excellence
The first industry-specific accreditation service is run by trained therapists and hairdressers.
Companies are vetted to ensure that high standards are attained from training providers. A very new accreditation company, with a searchable database and the option of reaching gold status upon obtaining great reviews from your students.
What you will need to submit:
Copies of your teaching certificate.
Copies of your qualifications.
Copy of your certificate issued to students.
Copy of all your policies and procedures.
Copy of training manuals issued to students during training.
Completed application form.
Copy of your insurance policy.
FEES:
5 Courses £199 per year
10 Courses £349 per year
20 Courses £549 per year
Unlimited Courses £849 for the first year, £549 at renewal.
Pros:
Only accredit courses in the holistic, hair, aesthetics and beauty industry.
One of the most affordable accreditation companies available for higher risk treatments.
Students can leave feedback which can lead to higher bookings.
Accepted by all mainstream insurance companies.
Can have as many trainers registered without additional charge.
Great customer service.
Bad training companies will not be allowed to renew their registration, meaning the accreditation logo will be synonymous with quality training.
Access to special member offers.
Accepted in many countries around the world.
Regularly spot check academies to ensure they meet their academy charter.
Chance to obtain gold status and stand out from other providers on the platform.
Annual awards to recognise the top-performing academies.
Referral program, receive a £50 Amazon voucher for every academy you recommend to join.
Cons:
Not suitable for training academies that deliver inferior training and customer service.
Currently no phone service.