VTCT addresses lack of diverse representation with stock imagery

VTCT (Vocational Training Charitable Trust) has created its own hair and beauty imagery after finding stock images lacking enough diversity to educate learners adequately.

VTCT hair and beauty experts travelled to Francesco Group, Birmingham, to shoot photos that reflect the behaviours of a range of hair types from poker straight to wavy, coily hair.

The awarding body recently announced that it is set to make black hair and skin part of its core curriculum. It has now begun an overhaul of its qualification offering to ensure its learners have the knowledge to work within an inclusive and diverse society.

“While there are images of curly hair available, they do not adequately reflect all the complexities of it,” said VTCT quality lead and industry expert Sonia Robinson. “We needed to capture how uniquely hair behaves and looks when wet, styled, dry and everything in between.

“All hair types are vastly diverse. Without the resources for learners to identify this, they won’t have the skills to meet the demand for diversity. I am proud of the work that we are doing to fill this gap and to ensure our learners and training providers have the resources and knowledge to work within an inclusive society.”

As well as reforming its qualifications, VTCT is also set to provide a range of training activity, to support providers in preparing their staff. Educators responsible for delivering the new qualification content will receive expert training from VTCT subject matter specialists and expert technical panels to understand the different characteristics and care across hair and skin types.

As a specialist awarding organisation for the hair, beauty and complementary therapies sectors, VTCT has over 1,600 approved centres globally, including in Ireland and the UK.