We have had lots of calls to the Waverley Academy office over the last few months from persons wondering if they could access funding to do any of our courses. So I decided to do some research and contact the various state agencies to get some information. I thought it would be a reasonably simple peace of research, but there doesn’t seem to be a cohesive policy on the issuing of training/education funds, although I do hope the following information will be of some help.<!–more–>

Good news

The good news is that there is funding available, but it very much depends on individual circumstances. If you are unemployed you should sign on at your local dole office and register with FAS at your local FAS office in order to try and access funding. It would seem that two categories giving preference for funding are persons unemployed, or persons in receipt of some form of social welfare benefit. So if you are looking to retrain, up skill or return to education, two of the main offices that you can contact are

Local employment services, known as LES offices ( also distinguished by the “Obair” logo). Theses offices offer a wide range of services from career planning to job searching and also have a role in accessing funding. It would also seem that they can advise you if you are entitled to funding and how and where to get it. I would think this would be a very good starting point and a quick phone call or visit might save you a lot of work. (contact details at bottom of article)

Local social welfare offices, which have a ‘jobs facilitator’. Social welfare also have a role to play in issuing funding for training/education which is mainly via the local welfare offices and the jobs facilitator. You can be referred by social welfare or FAS to the jobs facilitator or you can contact them directly and make an appointment. (contact details at the end of this article)

The role of FAS and Department of  Social Protection

In recent times, many of the services provided by FAS have been transferred to the Department of Social Protection, however many of the services, offices, personal and programs  remain the same.

One of the main functions is still to provide training for its clients. They also play a role in assisting with career planning via their guidance officers in local offices. The main priority of FAS at local level would be to help you identify a course or career which they can provide through their own training programmes. However in some cases, they may provide you with funding or help you access funding, for courses which they do not provide, or if there is a long waiting list for a course which they provide. (see bottom of article for contact details)

Important

Irrespective of which agency you choose to contact, it is important that you have some sort of a ‘career plan’ that incorporates the course which you are looking for funding for. The person who is issuing, or making recommendations for the funds to be issued, will need to know that the course will enhance your career or employment prospects, or lead to self employment, and may also form part of a progressive education pathway.

Contacts

www.localemploymentservices.ie

When you enter the home page look to the left hand menu on click on ‘les offices’ for list of contacts.

http://www.localemploymentservices.ie

When you enter the home page look at the menu at the top of the page and click on ‘contact us’, this brings you to a list of services , the first one is ‘social welfare local and branch offices’, click on this for list of contacts

www.fas.ie

When you enter the FAS home page click on ‘job seeker’ , when you enter job seeker section read down through the text and click on ‘fas office’ for list of local offices.

I do hope this information will be of help to you and good luck with your efforts.

Talk soon

D O K

If your interested in a career in teaching adults in the hair, beauty, fitness or complementary therapy sectors it’s probably never been more important that you get some formal training, and here are some of the reasons why.

The landscape for teaching adults in Ireland has significantly changed over the past couple of years and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Learning has become more structured with the introduction of the national qualifications framework and ‘outcomes’ based learning.

Advances in educational psychology and the understanding of how adults learn has also meant that trainers can adapt a more ‘scientific’ approach to how they deliver education. And so, in order to become familiar with all the changes and deliver outcomes based training, it has never been more important to embark on an industry standard teacher education program.

It would also seem that employers in educatioal institutes (public and private) will be obliged to ensure that teaching staff have suitable qualifications as most of their programs will be ‘outcomes based’. These types of programmes can not be delivered ‘ad hoc’ and require skills and knowledge which includes some of the following

• An understanding of the values that underpin good teaching practice
• An understanding of the adult learning principals and theories
• An understanding of the educational, and futher educational system in Ireland
• An understanding of learner motivations and profiles
• Curriculum design and lesson planning
• Developing learner aims and outcomes
• Effective delivery mechanisms
• Assessment and evaluation of learning
• The role of technology in adult education

It’s also quiet an exciting time in teaching adults, as these new approaches and standards will make it a lot more easier to design and deliver education which is a lot more rewarding for teachers and learners.

If you are interested in a career in teaching please contact us on 01-4089769 or click on the link below to view our teaching programmes in our Old Naas Road venue and Cork

Click here to view the details of our ITEC Teacher Training Course

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

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The Waverley Academy are proud to announce an incredibly talented and dedicated group of trainers for our new Hair & Beauty college in Cork. Over the past 15 years our dedicated focus on quality training and trainers has catapulted us to leaders in our industry with pass rates of 98.5% across all our departments for 2011. We are now privileged to be bringing the same levels of quality to the people of Cork by employing top quality trainers.

HAIRDRESSING DEPARTMENT

Wayne Lloyd, award winning hairdresser and team Ireland member,
Wayne Lloyd is one of the most renowned hairdressers in the country today and The Waverley Academy are privileged to have him as artistic director and guest trainer for our hairdressing department in West Cork . His creativity and international accomplishments have catapulted him to one of the most sought after hairdressers in the Munster area. Wayne will oversee all creative elements of the programme and will provide a wealth of International experience not offered on many other hairdressing courses. His most recent achievement in August 2011 is quiet remarkable.
He travelled half way around the globe to compete in the OMC Americas cup in Uruguay South America, and won silver in the full fashion section, beating off some of the worlds best hairdressers. Wayne’s passion and enthusiasm for creative hairdressing is infectious. He is also a regular on the international exhibition circuit and owns a successful hair salon in Ballydehob West Cork. Wayne also has a wealth of training experience and has delivered programs in the UK and America. His expertise and artistic direction will make this one of the most exciting and credible hairdressing courses in the country.

Sara Ryan – Senior Stylist and chairperson of West Cork Hairdressing Association
Sara is one of the most experienced hairdressers in West Cork with a wealth of creative knowledge and experience behind her. Sara is the owner of 2 hair Salons in the West Cork area with her Fusion Colour Hair Designs in Clonakilty receiving 5 star status. She has been instrumental in the continuing training and education of hairdressers in the region through her role with the West Cork Hairdressers Association. In 1999 she completed her 4 year apprenticeship with the prestigious Peter Mark Hairdressing School and progressed to managerial positions within the chain.  She has since completed her masters in Hairdressing and trained many of the staff working in her salons. More recently she has been selected to work alongside Wayne Lloyd at the Cork fashion week.  With almost 20 years hairdressing and training experience Sara will have a major role at The Waverley Academy in training the next generation of creative hairdressers for West Cork and surrounding areas.

Debbie McCarthy – Senior Stylist and Bridal Consultant
Debbie is a senior stylist and bridal consultant at Reflections Hair and Beauty Salon Skibereen West Cork. She is also a multitalented hairdresser and hairdressing careers advisor to the schools in The West Cork area. Debbie’s experience of training junior stylists in the many salons she has worked in will be invaluable for hairdressers starting out their careers.  She also brings International experience to her teaching having worked in Australia with leading hair chain “Hairhouse Warehouse”.  In her role with the company she was salon manager, senior stylist and creative co-ordinator for fashion shows and advertising.  Debbie was also responsible for design, delivery and assessment of training programmes for junior apprentices at the Salon. She is extremely passionate about the development and training of new hairdressers for the industry. Debbie’s international experience and training background  will be play a key role in the training of  new hairdressers for The Waverley Academy in West Cork.

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BEAUTY DEPARTMENT

Geraldine O Brien – Senior Trainer
Geraldine O Brien is a multitalented beautician and an ITEC qualified tutor. She has a wealth of knowledge and experience of the beauty and complimentary industry and is a graduate of UCC Cork. Originally from West Cork and now living just outside Cork City, Geraldine has a vast amount of experience in the beauty treatments sector as a freelance therapist and former salon owner.
She is also one of the most qualified trainers & educators in the Cork beauty industry and has taught in several VEC’s and private colleges. She specialises in adult education and is currently completing her second teaching qualification at NUI Galway. Geraldine’s teaching experience and knowledge of the beauty industry is second to none. She will play a key role with The Waverley Academy in the training of beauticians in our West Cork beauty college.

MAKE-UP DEPARTMENT

Pamela Barry – Make-Up Trainer (ITEC programmes)
Pamela Barry is one of the most experienced makeup trainers in West Cork.  She also has a wealth of experience with many of the leading cosmetic and makeup brands including iconic brands such as YSL, Clarins and Dior.  Pamela’s education in advanced skincare will also prove invaluable to those starting off their makeup careers and her knowledge. Her experience of the pharmacy and cosmetic retail industry will also provide learners with invaluable information and eduction on the many career opportunities available to qualified makeup artists.  Over the past 5 years Pamela has played a major role in training many of the cosmetic consultants and makeup artists for leading pharmacy chain Pharmacy First Plus in their Cork branches. Pamela’s knowledge of the cosmetics and makeup industry, coupled with her training experience, will be invaluable to anyone starting out their career in makeup.

Danielle Murphy – Advanced Make-Up Studies
Danielle Murphy is one of the most high profile makeup artists in Ireland today. In August 2011, Danielle retuned from the Gemma Kidd School of makeup artistry in London to join the Waverley Academy as creative director for advanced makeup studies.  Danielle is an Internationally acclaimed makeup artist and has worked on the major fashion shows around the world. In 2003 she was headhunted by iconic makeup brand Mac to work at their flagship store in London. Within one year she was working with the MAC Pro team on events such as London fashion week, the BAFTA’s and the British soap awards. Her training role at the Gemma Kidd School of makeup has been instrumental in the success of the school and has received many plaudits from industry experts.Danielle’s role as creative director will also be coupled with ongoing education of all makeup artists at the Waverley Academy ensuring international standards in all areas of our makeup departments.

Waverley Academy new college in Cork

The Waverley Academy to open new college in Co. Cork,  Looking Good for Cork and great news for Bandon as one of Ireland’s most credible colleges open a new state-of the-art Hair and Beauty college.

The Waverley Academy in Dublin is synonymous with professional skills training in the ‘Look Good Feel Good’ sectors. Branching out over the past four years they have now established links with many professionals in the Cork Region and news of their move to Cork is most welcome. The Academy opens up a fantastic opportunity for those who are looking for new career possibilities, or for those who always wanted to be involved in the field of hairdressing, beauty, makeup and massage.

The new Cork location for the Waverley Academy will be above the SalonShop, IDA Bandon (Lauragh) Business Park, Bandon, Co. Cork. An Open Day will take place on Sunday, 11th September from 12 to 5pm. All are welcome to come along and view the facilities, meet course trainers and have all their questions answered.

The new college promises to provide the very best qualifications in Cork and employ top quality trainers. “The principles and methodology of adult learning are paramount at the Academy and thus the quality of trainers. These have been the corner stone of our success,” noted of Derek O’Kelly, MD of the Waverley Academy. “This ensures a fully accommodating environment for all the students.” Part time courses in October 2011 will include ITEC Beauty (two evenings per week or Saturday’s), Makeup (one evening per week), Hairdressing (two days per week) and Massage (1 evening per week).

The enthusiasm of Derek O’Kelly is contagious. “It is predominantly a family business and our ethos is to treat our customers as we would like our own family members to be treated. Our Programmes are the most comprehensive in the country and include follow-up support when courses are finished.” The success rate at the Waverley Academy is remarkable, with pass rates for International exams in 2011 averaging 98.5% across all departments.

Experts will be used to develop the programmes with international makeup artist from the Gemma Kidd school of makeup artistry, Danielle Murphy as creative director of makeup studies and Wayne Lloyd, local award winning hairdresser, as artistic director for hairdressing.
The Academy is renowned for giving back to local communities and charities and the Cork location will be no exception. Derek hopes to work on future initiatives and will be looking to contribute to local development and enterprise by employing local people and outsourcing services to local businesses.

For further information on the Waverley Academy:
Visit www.academy.ie