The Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty
By Ana Santos columnist

When Geni Gonzales and Owee Cruz talk about beauty, they mean business. Literally.

Gonzales and Cruz put up the Australian College of Hair Design and Beauty (ACHDB), a direct franchise of the school with the same name in Melbourne. ACHDB recently opened its doors in The Podium Mall in Ortigas Center to enrollees who wish to get an internationally recognized degree or certificate beauty courses in Hairdressing Salon Management, Make-Up and Beauty Therapy.

Currently, ACHDB is the only international beauty school here in the Philippines. Because of its affiliation with the Melbourne counterpart, they follow the rigid international curriculum and standards of the mother school.

Gonzales and Cruz both had to train in the Melbourne ACHDB School before they were awarded the franchise to open the branch here in Manila.

“You’ll really see the difference. There, [in Melbourne] they are so professional and they make a lot of money because a premium is placed on the service and the talent,” says Cruz who is the executive vice president of sales and marketing.

“A degree in Beauty Therapy requires study in the field of physiology and biology. After graduating, students are equipped conduct a facial analysis and are qualified to perform minor dermatological procedures like micro-dermabrasion and facials as long as they are non-invasive.” adds Gonzales, the school’s director of education.

Gonzales and Cruz agree that skills are not enough to ensure success. One still needs business skills. “Being a make-up artist is like being an entrepreneur, whether you are free-lancing or planning to open up your own salon. We want our students to think big so we teach them how to properly price beauty treatments apart from the skills needed to be a creative director in a premium salon.”

The ACHDB curriculum is 25-percent theoretical and 75-percent practical. For the make-up course, for example, make-up application is demonstrated by the teacher and then the students are asked to apply it themselves. Gonzales likens this teaching methodology to teaching someone how to write; a student needs to be shown how before they even try to develop their own style and technique.

M2M: Manila to Melbourne

Beauty is probably one of the world’s most resilient industries; it thrives even during economic slumps and recessions. No one wants to look sad and poor even during hard times.

For this reason, Gonzales and Cruz believe that beauty and make-up technicians will continue to be in high demand both here and abroad. “There is no reason why Filipino talent can not be globally recognized in the beauty industry. We have a lot of competent hairstylists and make-up artists. You see some of them winning in international competitions and making a name for the Philippines. But because they are not licensed or certified, they can not practice overseas.” says Cruz.

ACHDB recognizes this rising trend and offers a unique exchange program where students may opt to go to Australia for a paid apprenticeship. After the one-year internship, they can apply for a permanent residency.

An industry that needs a face-lift

“You often hear people say that they’re just a hairstylist or someone is too smart to be ‘just’ a make-up artist. You have to be smart to be a make-up artist. Anyone who says that doesn’t know the amount of study and hard work that goes into getting a degree,” says Gonzalez.

“People—even the students themselves—are surprised when they see the textbooks that they have to study for their different subjects. The books cover the muscular makeup of the body because you cannot perform a massage without knowing about the muscular system. They sometimes ask, ‘Do I really need to study that? It’s just a massage,’” Gonzales explains.

“Our answer is always yes. Yes, if you want to be recognized and respected globally in the beauty industry,” answers Cruz.

For further emphasis, Gonzales adds, “Before, cooks were just called cooks. Now, they’re called chefs and exported to other countries. It is a respected field of study. Skills and talent are recognized. With the holistic curriculum that we offer—where beauty meets business—we hope to achieve the same level of recognition for beauty practitioners.”

The Australian College of Hair Design & Beauty is located at the 4th level of The Podium, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center. For details, call 0917-8287743 or 0918-8287743.