North Hertfordshire College’s Level 1 Beauty Therapy and Hairdressing learners have enjoyed an exciting employer project with sustainable skincare brand SBTRCT, using their artistic flair to create marketing content for the brand! The employer project was made possible thanks to SBTRCT’s involvement in NHC’s Give a Future campaign, and helped open our learners’ eyes to broader careers in the hair and beauty industry that are available to them at the end of their NHC studies.
SBTRCT founder and owner Ben Grace first joined our learners for the project launch, taking them through the core principles of the business before announcing the project details: our students were to reimagine themselves as social media influencers and create a high-quality Instagram Reel which promoted SBTRCT and reducing plastic waste!
Before they could pick up their phones and start recording, our learners first needed to make a number of business decisions. This included planning the type of influencer they were going to be, identifying who their audience was, and market research on how other influencers create similar content and trends that would help them reach a wider audience.
Just like with a real brand deal, our learners also had to feature some of SBTRCT’s key business values in their finished Reel. Sustainability is one of SBTRCT’s core values and the Reels needed to meet the main campaign goal of reassuring consumers that they don’t need to compromise on quality to be good to the planet. They were also encouraged to use some of SBTRCT’s key messages such as ‘less is more’, the products using vegan ingredients not tested on animals, and products designed as skincare for all (not specifically for, or excluding, any age, race, or gender).
Our learners certainly had fun with the project and its challenges. Anjalina, one of our Level 1 Beauty Therapy students, commented: “I thoroughly enjoyed it – the project helped me learn!” Jesica, who is also studying her Level 1 Beauty Therapy course, also agrees, telling us: “I’ve learned a lot about a new product and enjoyed the process of researching.”
We’re happy to say that the project was a success for SBTRCT, too. Ben Grace, the owner and founder, commented: “I really enjoyed working with the students and thought they did a fantastic job. I am so pleased they enjoyed it and engaged with the brief.”
As well as helping our learners to fulfil some of the work experience hours included in their courses, the project also helped introduce them to the environmental responsibilities of their future industry. It’s also encouraged our learners to think outside of the box when it comes to their future careers; the skills and knowledge they build in their Hairdressing and Beauty Therapy programmes at NHC are transferable to a broad range of options within the industry, such as in communications and the business side of brands.
Beverley Leete, Course Team Leader for Level 1 Hairdressing at North Hertfordshire College, told us: “This project has just been so good for the students! It’s really captured their enthusiasm – they’ve engaged with it and they’ve put thought into the films they’ve produced. It’s honestly been so good for them to be able to think differently about something related to their course. They’ve been able to work in groups and really come into their own with making decisions about how they wanted their films to be, what they wanted to include, and actually filming the content which has brought the message of the brand and all the different aspects of it to life for them,
“I’m amazed at how well the students have done. It was so great to have samples of the solid product bars to try out and demonstrate on camera. They’ve staged some really professional videos about the SBTRCT Discovery Packs. Ben has been a great employer for them to work with and so approachable, which is important when students can often get nervous doing presentations. Thank you, Ben – we’ve never done anything like this before, but it’s been such a great success from our point of view. We’d definitely like to do something like this again!”
Thank you to SBTRCT for helping to Give a Future to our students!
If you’re interested in starting your own career in the Hair and Beauty sector, check out North Hertfordshire College’s Hairdressing & Beauty Therapy courses! With NHC, you can stay close to home and work with amazing employers who will help you go far in your future career.