Kingston State College has opened a Hair and Beauty Salon on campus, named Kubill on Kingston, as part of its new Certification III Beauty and Certification II Salon Assistance subjects.
Named after the Indigenous word for “beautiful”, Kubill on Kingston is usually open on Tuesdays and Fridays during school hours, and operates as a full commercial hair and beauty salon, offering all sorts of hair and makeup services.
Kingston State College hair and beauty coordinator Amber Moratti, known affectionately to her students as Miss A, said this program offered students many job opportunities after obtaining the certificate.
“With the Cert III Beauty, the students can actually use the Cert III to go to a double diploma in salon management and advanced beauty services. It can also take them down a makeup path if they wanted to go and do special effects. They could go into nursing and do injectables,” Miss A said.
“With the Cert II Salon Assist, it gets them a foot in the door for a salon to actually be an apprentice and do a Cert III or Cert IV in hairdressing services.”
Each subject is offered as a senior pathway to Year 10 students, giving them three lessons a week to learn about the hair and beauty industry.
Miss A said the program would open up pathways and teach students life skills.
“Even if they don’t decide to stay in hair and beauty, they’ve still got skills for life that are transferable across many other industries,” she said.
“Skills like greeting and preparing clients, or how to conduct financial transactions, will help them if they decide to get a job in retail or hospitality in the future.”
The program will offer students multiple professional opportunities, both from Kubill and industry events where students have the chance to work in Miss A’s event team.
“I take the students to industry events, such as Brisbane Fashion Festival and movie sets where I’ve been the key makeup artist so they can be my assistants for hair and makeup,” she said.
Miss A said the program encouraged students to stay at school instead of dropping out at Year 10 to do a course at TAFE.
“We’re giving them the ability to graduate and receive a QCE, [Queensland Certificate of Education] and make sure they’re going straight into employment or tertiary studies.”
The school’s vocational education and training department head, Natisha Rice, said keeping students enrolled at school helped their wellbeing as well as their career prospects.
“If they’re coming in and doing something that they love in hair and beauty – and in any vocational course – we can actually also keep an eye on the kids and make sure that their wellbeing is good as well, that they are being looked after,” Ms Rice said.
She said the Certification III Beauty Services gave students eight points towards their senior certificate, as opposed to more traditional subjects which may only give four points.
However, in the end, both Miss A and Ms Rice just want students to thrive and achieve their goals.
“ We just want them to be strong individuals and people. We’re really trying to build their capabilities, competency and confidence, because they’re already awesome human beings.” Ms Rice said.
“The Kingston kids are just amazing and beautiful.
“They’re the most beautiful kids we’ve ever worked with. So, just giving them that sense of community and belonging, we just want to see them thrive and and we are very privileged to have this job.”
To book an appointment with the Kubill on Kingston Hair and Beauty Salon, call Kingston State College on (07) 3826 1333.
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