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| Tutor D’borah Blennman said participants could offer make-up services on graduating from the course. (S. Pil??/BGIS) |
The Barbados Vocational Training Board (BVTB) recently staged a make-up soir??e, and from all indications, it was a resounding success!
Hosted by the students of the make-up artistry evening class, patrons were treated to fabulous make overs, while trainees had an opportunity to practise their newly found craft.
According to tutor, D’borah Blennman, the purpose of the soir??e was to expose students to applying make-up on a production line. She explained this was essential for pageants, films or when make-up was required for several persons at the same time.
"What happens is that one station does cleansing, another does foundation and another works on the eyes and so on. The students were taught to do individual make-up from start to finish, but now, the focus on the production line is to help them work as a team, [to] pick up from where the other person left off and then have a flawless finished look at the end [of the process] as if one person did it," she outlined.
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Work being done at the lip station (S. Pil??/BGIS) |
Held once a week from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., the 12-week course requires trainees to master both the theoretical and practical aspects of make-up application.
"At the end of the course, participants should be able to do make-up at a professional level. They can actually leave and start their own small businesses or offer the service individually at graduations, weddings, carnivals and other events," the tutor indicated, adding that the course enrolment fee of $300 was a small investment compared to the amount of money a person could earn in the field.
She continued: "We teach skin analysis, client consultations, customer service, matching of the foundation, the correct use of tools, moisturisers and toners; [all] techniques necessary for the application of eye shadows and so much more."
Ms. Blenman said the class comprised a small number of women whose ages ranged from 17 to 45 years who were occupied in a variety of fields.
According to 24-year-old student, Verene Jones, who performed the task of foundation application on the production line: "When I saw the programme being offered and saw that I could learn to do it professionally, I jumped at the opportunity. Of all the make-up artistry courses out there BVTB’s course was the most affordable. Some make-up courses cost almost $3,000 and this one was $300.
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| Sharon Niles’ task was to apply eye shadow on the production line. (S. Pil??/BGIS) |
Sharon Niles, a 40-year-old make-up student at the eye station, said she signed up for the programme as a way of enhancing her personal development. The Financial Officer noted that completing the course had dispelled a number of previous misconceptions.
She added: "Since coming here I learnt how to work with many colours, styles, applications and the best way to blend the shadows, so now I am exploring and trying to be adventurous."
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This patron felt at ease with Cecely’s lip care (S. Pil??) |
Cecely Callender chose to enrol in the Make-up Artistry course because the area seemed to be lucrative. "People are very into beauty at the moment and I decided to learn make-up artistry to make some extra cash".
The 34-year-old Marketing Coordinator remarked that the importance of hygiene was one of the key things she learnt over the 12 weeks. Other critical skills she gained included contouring and creative eye shadow techniques. "I was wondering for years
how to do simple things like making people’s lips and cheeks look smaller and they taught us that here. When I am finished, I will launch out and see if I can create a niche business," she shared.
Supervisor of the BVTB’s Evening Programme, Sandra Cumberbatch said that in addition to Make-up Artistry, other beauty courses offered by that institution included Basic and Advance Nail Technology, Barbering, and Braiding and Weaving.
She said it was advantageous for persons to acquire vocational skills, since the development of practical skills would enable the new artisans to have a greater chance of increasing their income. In addition, Ms. Cumberbatch reasoned that learning a skill would also help households to save money with do-it-yourself projects.
"Invest in yourself and learn a skill with the BVTB Evening Programme because with the challenges of the global economic situation, just depending on your salary at the end of the month or pay cheque at the end of the week alone is not working anymore," she stressed.
Moreover, she emphasised that cost should not be seen as a deterrent since fees ranged from $150 to $325 and with quality tutors assigned to the BVTB Evening Programme, participants would be getting a bang for their buck!
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A finished look. (S. Pil??) |
Scheduled to start on May 29, persons can choose from over 19 courses including Tiling and Decorative Finishes, Dressmaking, Introduction to Computer Maintenance, International Cooking, Auto-Mechanics, and Event Planning and Management.
For further information, persons should call the BVTB at 621-2882, 621-BVTB or visit the website at http://www.bvtb.gov.bb.