Case studies

Fashion and beauty – it’s all I want to do. I love clothes and make-up and I read all the fashion magazines. I’ve been told it’s a tough industry to get into, so I’m doing the Advanced Diploma in Hair and Beauty Studies because I think it’s the best place to start.

What will I learn?

I have to cover eight areas for the Principal Learning part of my Diploma course. I'll do things like explore the media, and how it's used in the industry. We'll also look at cosmetic science, marketing and merchandising, to get a complete picture of everything that goes on.

I'm also doing an A Level in Human Biology for the Additional and Specialist Learning part, where you can pick more courses that you want to do.

For work experience, I'm going to try and get a part-time job as a salon assistant. But I also have two placements arranged already – one in a spa and one in a nail bar.

What am I looking forward to?

I'm doing a project with focus groups to see what people think of fashion images and how pictures are used in adverts to target different audiences – like teenagers or mums for example.

I can't wait; I'll get to interview people about fashion and their style and put all my findings into a report.

What will I do afterwards?

I plan to go to university and continue the same route when I finish my Diploma. I might take a Foundation degree in Beauty Therapy and Spa Management and see how that goes.

This case study is an illustration of how and why a student might decide to do a Diploma; it does not refer to a real individual. To talk through your own specific study or career goals, you can seek further advice and check local availability with your teacher or Connexions Adviser.

I want to be my own boss one day. I like making up hairstyles and getting ready to go out, so a hair salon seems like a good business for me. Mum and dad think so too. I’ve chosen the Foundation Diploma in Hair and Beauty Studies to help me do this.

What will I learn?

I'll learn about careers in the hair and beauty sector, hair styling, personal appearance and creating a positive impression for my Principal Learning. We'll get an introduction to techniques like nail treatments, how new products are made and how to treat customers.

I've also decided to do an ABC Level 2 certificate in Business Practices for my Additional and Specialist Learning. The two go together really well.

What am I looking forward to?

I'm going to research how to set up my own hair salon as my project. There's an empty shop near my house so I'm pretending that I'm going to take it. I'll work out how much it will cost, what I'll need (like equipment and staff) and what customers I could attract. You never know, it might be mine one day!

For two weeks I'm going to spend time in a beauty salon, and a further ten days at a hair salon, for work experience. I'll get to see how everything works behind the scenes, which will be a great help for my project and my future.

What will I do afterwards?

I'm going to try to get work as a trainee in a hair salon. I also want to keep working towards having my own salon one day so I've looked into other courses. I might do a City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate in Hairdressing Salon Reception for starters.

This case study is an illustration of how and why a student might decide to do a Diploma; it does not refer to a real individual. To talk through your own specific study or career goals, you can seek further advice and check local availability with your teacher or Connexions Adviser.

I can’t wait to start the Diploma. It covers everything I want to learn about – hair, beauty and fashion. I even get to combine it with photography, which will help me with my future ambition.

I’m doing the Higher Diploma in Hair and Beauty it will help me learn more about the industry. I want to use my qualification to get a job working at hairdressing shows or fashion shoots.

What will I learn?

I'm going to learn all about hair and beauty, including the history of hair and beauty in society – something I'm really interested in. There are ten areas to the Principal Learning part of my course altogether, so it should keep me really busy.

For my Additional and Specialist Learning, I'm doing a Level 3 BTEC Award in Photography and a Level 3 Award in Street Fashion Photography. These are all really useful and necessary for the work I want to do. Plus, I love taking pictures so I'm excited about doing something I really enjoy.

What am I looking forward to?

Thinking about the history of hair and beauty has given me a great idea for my project. I'm going to research the development of styles, as seen in fashion photography over the years. Then, just like you see with celebs in magazines, I'm going to put the images together in a slide show and explain the changes shown in the photos.

I'm also doing a three week work experience placement at a photography studio that specialises in makeovers for the public. I'm going to help the stylists and learn how make-up and hair can change a person's look.

What will I do afterwards?

If I like it, which I think I will, I'll go on to do either the Advanced Diploma in Hair and Beauty Studies or the Advanced Diploma in Creative and Media. It depends which parts of the course I enjoy the most.

This case study is an illustration of how and why a student might decide to do a Diploma; it does not refer to a real individual. To talk through your own specific study or career goals, you can seek further advice and check local availability with your teacher or Connexions Adviser.