100% pass rate for WITT students in international beauty exam
Lisa Carruthers gained her international beauty therapy qualification at WITT 24 years ago. Now she’s a proud tutor with 100% pass rate for her latest cohort of 12 students who all gained the same prestigious CIDESCO qualification.
WITT is one of only five beauty schools in the country which offers training for the CIDESCO diploma. CIDESCO (Comité International d'Esthétique et de Cosmétologie) is regarded as the global standard in education and training for beauty therapy. Based in Zurich, Switzerland, it was founded in 1946 in Brussels. CIDESCO qualifications open doors to worldwide employment in the beauty industry, from beauty spas to cruise ships.
The successful students include 10 WITT Level 5 Beauty Therapy students, one WITT postgraduate, and one UCOL student from Palmerston North. All have found work locally in beauty spa businesses since they sat the exam in December last year.
Students are required to do a written exam and write a project assignment, as well as perform a wide range of techniques including cleansing, skin analysis, eyelash and eyebrow tinting, facial massage, mask treatment, make-up and manicure/pedicure. They are also tested on body massage, waxing and operating electrical equipment used on the face in advanced facial treatments, such as microdermabrasion and micro current lifting, body electrical therapy (cellulite treatments and lymphatic drainage) as well as electrolysis.
The visiting international examiner, Rosemarie Heesen, who travelled from Auckland, was very impressed with the high standards of the students’ skills and knowledge, Lisa says. She was formally welcomed to campus with a pōwhiri, alongside the visiting UCOL student. “The occasion recognised the significance of hosting an international qualification and reflected WITT’s commitment to tikanga Māori, manaakitanga, and culturally grounded practice,” Lisa says.
Holistic approach to beauty
Lisa – who teaches in the same room where she did the CIDESCO exam in 2002 - vividly recalls her own experience. It was on a Sunday, the day after she was a bridesmaid for a friend’s wedding. “Unfortunately, I had to leave the wedding early so I could get to bed at 8.30pm to be ready for my exam at 8 o'clock on Sunday morning.”
She has been teaching at WITT for nearly 14 years, after working in the beauty industry locally and in Melbourne.
Her colleague Haley Maindonald teaches Level 4 Beauty. "Haley was one of my students who studied beauty at WITT and is also CIDESCO trained at WITT. She does a fantastic job at preparing the students for the first year of beauty at WITT."
Lisa says interest in beauty products and practices has taken off via social media platforms, from YouTube make-up demos to sharing new styles, tips and trends on Instagram and Tik Tok. However, she says it’s important to keep things in perspective and use beauty therapy to enhance your looks and not become obsessed with perfection or opting for radical procedures such as cosmetic surgery.
How to get a good brow shape and choosing the best lipstick shade are just part of the beauty formula. Lisa takes a holistic approach to beauty by teaching the importance of good nutrition, exercise, sleep and keeping stress levels down. Students also learn about the inner workings of the body – including anatomy and physiology – as well as understanding skin biology and being able to analyse skin types.
Being a good beauty therapist requires passion, she says. Part of the training at WITT includes practising on paying clients who book appointments for hair and beauty treatments at the campus beauty therapy salon, Industrie.
More information here on WITT’s beauty therapy, skincare and cosmetics, and hairdressing programmes:
https://www.witt.ac.nz/study/hair-beauty-skincare-and-cosmetics/
Caption: WITT tutors Lisa Carruthers (second from right) and Haley Maindonald (right), and international CIDESCO examiner Rosemarie Heesen with students who gained the prestigious CIDESCO diploma.