So you’ve been through lots of training and worked in the industry for years. You know your stuff – and then you hear about national accreditation for your area of expertise. What does it mean? Do you need it? Does it matter?
The TLDR Version
Getting national accreditation is great. It’s like a health check for your skills and knowledge and you’ll be contributing to establishing a standard in the industry you love. If mandatory qualifications are introduced in the future, you’re ahead of the game.
When you already have the skills and experience needed, you can apply for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). You provide the evidence of your skills and knowledge, then it’s assessed and validated. On successful completion you receive a Statement of Attainment from an RTO for the qualification.
If you’re in the Lash Industry, you can apply for RPL by correspondence with Enchanted SPA for SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions. We deliver this unit of competency on behalf of our partnering Registered Training Provider, Trainwest (RTO 51807).
The process is easy:
- You fill out a checklist to confirm your skills and knowledge
- You send it to us by email to reception@enchantedbeauty.institute with the subject line: “RPL Application”
- We check it, and if its all good, you pay the fee ($349) and we send your RPL Assessment pack electronically. It contains all the documentation you need to submit your evidence (your pack includes easy step by step instructions)
- You submit your completed evidence
- We assess and validate it
- Once successfully completed, our RTO partner Trainwest issues your Statement of Attainment for SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions
Ready to roll? You can download the Checklist here:
Want to know more about national accreditation and the nitty gritty for RPL? Read on below!
The Industry Factor
Enchanted SPA have been on a journey with our lash and brow sisters around the world to raise industry standards as a whole. We believe everyone having national accreditation (when there is one) is a step in the right direction.
Sometimes, when Service Skills Australia develops training packages, a completely new accredited unit of competency is released. People who actually work in that industry look at the Performance and Knowledge requirements and have a W.T.F moment.
“Who wrote this? Is that even a thing?? Who does that these days??”
If you have a look at units that have been around for awhile, you’ll notice there are lots of updated versions. That’s because industries are constantly learning and changing. It takes time for the government standards catch up!
What are the benefits of national accreditation?
Accreditation is formal confirmation that the course:
- is nationally recognised
- meets an established industry, enterprise, educational, legislative or community need
- provides appropriate competency outcomes and a satisfactory basis for assessment
- meets national quality assurance requirements
- is aligned appropriately to the Australian Qualifications Framework where it leads to a qualification.
Each VET accredited course is allocated a national code and is listed on the national register, training.gov.au. Accreditation means that participants in the course may be eligible to achieve an occupational licensing or regulatory outcome.
Getting onboard
We had our first training course nationally accredited in early 2016 because we recognised having a government approved standard gives you a really good baseline. You get consistent basics and have a roadmap for meeting health and safety regulations for your industry. There might be a few little W.T.F things in there, but that’s ok.
Our first accredited unit was SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions and we built it into our Classic Eyelash Extensions course. To start with, we faced some industry backlash that the accredited unit was worthless and our training must be inferior. But that’s not how we roll! We designed our course to meet and exceed the criteria, using the accredited unit as a base to build from, then raising the bar.
What many people didn’t understand is that trainers can address ‘outdated’ or ‘W.T.F’ criteria without recommending it (hello thickness of 0.20 and 0.25!). For industry lobbying, you can’t successfully create change if you don’t engage and adopt the standard first.
We are so pleased that some of the same people who were skeptical at the start have not only sought accreditation for themselves, but are now also taking steps to put their students through it too!
Get accredited using your experience
The great thing about VET accredited courses is you can qualify (or part qualify) through Recognition of Prior Learning, or RPL for short. You don’t have to sit an entire course again when you are already vocationally qualified.
RPL recognises learning regardless of how, when or where it was acquired, as long as the learning is relevant to the outcomes of the qualification. If you have previous training or work experience that meets the criteria for the qualification you can apply for RPL. You collect evidence to support your application, then submit it for assessment and validation. If your evidence confirms your competency, then the qualification is issued to you. Pretty simple, right?
The Lash Industry
For lash artists, yes our industry is unregulated, but that just means you don’t HAVE to have national accreditation. We believe its good if you do. It shows you’re competent in health and safety practices and core standards in line with government regulations; which should be the first step in any personal care career.
One day, accreditation may be mandatory. We don’t know when that might be, but the lash industry is lobbying for mandatory qualifications in the future for the benefit of lash artists and their clients. We hope they succeed for the benefit of our industry in the long term.
So what are you waiting for? If you have experience and vocational training in an industry that has a government accreditation available, check out your options for RPL or upskilling.
RPL for SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions
Enchanted SPA offers RPL for the accredited unit of competency, SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions with our partnering Registered Training Provider, Trainwest (RTO 51807). This is available by correspondence, with all documentation provided to you and returned to us electronically. This means you can compile your evidence in your own time and submit to us when ready. The cost is $349 and includes your assessment pack, evidence validation and issue of your Statement of Attainment for the unit SHBBMUP001 Apply Eyelash Extensions on successful completion.
How do I know if I’m a good candidate for RPL?
We’ve developed a Checklist you can use to help you work it out. If you are interested in RPL, download the form here, fill it out and send it to us at reception@enchantedbeauty.institute , with the subject line “RPL Application”.
Don’t worry if there are some things you don’t know, just have a go and send it in. We will contact you to let you know:
- if you’re ready for RPL
- if we think there are minor gaps in your knowledge, where you can find resources to refresh before you sit for RPL.
- recommendations for training or upskilling in your location if needed.
If you are ready for RPL and want to go forward, we will complete your application and set up your assessment pack!
What Evidence do I have to provide?
- Copies of evidence of training in the form of certificate/s or letters or references from Employers
- Environment Confirmation – photos of your salon environment and a checklist to confirm your environment meets assessment criteria
- Two (2) Case Study Full Set applications on live models, each set consisting of a minimum 80 eyelash extensions per eye
- Two (2) Case Study Infill Services on live models
- Two (2) Case Study Removal Services on live models
- A written Knowledge Assessment (25 theory based questions)
We hope this takes some of the mystery out of national accreditation and the RPL process!