Students of Hairdressing, Beauty Therapy and Media Make-up can find it difficult to relate to English and Maths being useful for their chosen career path. York College noticed that they were not attending these classes and had all too often been told to “follow a vocational career as they would not achieve high GCSE grades”, creating the perception that vocational education does not require these skills, coupled with a fear of failure.
This project aims to overcome these barriers and, with the help of employers, to demonstrate the practical use of English and Maths using real-life scenarios. It will create a series of short, snappy media clips, reflecting their learners’ digital preferences. The initial phase of this project will involve around 400 Hair & Beauty learners at York College. These learners will be on a wide range of courses and will come from diverse backgrounds with differing learning abilities and needs.
Resources will be created with employer support and include interlinked industry-related activities. A catalogue will be easily accessible across levels 1-4, encouraging learner progression. Employer engagement will help to challenge the misconception of skills needed in the Hair & Beauty industry. This will help learners bridge the gap between their past experience of exam-focused Maths content and bring context to these subjects where they naturally occur in the workplace.