British Beauty Council launches "industry-first" career development programme

The British Beauty Council has launched a career development programme to help "nurture a steady pipeline of talent to the beauty industry and all of its sectors". 

The Future Talent Programme hopes to inspire and educate young people aged 11-18 and "showcase self-expression in the beauty industry as a route to happy and successful careers".

Backed by the Department for Education, The Careers & Enterprise Company and STEM Learning, the programme will be shared across schools in England via The Careers Hub Network.

The British Beauty Council has worked with Estée Lauder Companies, L’Oréal, No7 Beauty Company, Superdrug, Deciem, and The Fragrance Foundation to execute the cross-industry campaign.

The initiative features a series of short films covering STEM opportunities in cosmetic science, sustainability, fragrance and technology. The British Beauty Council also plans to launch a STEM Ambassador Programme, which will see "dynamic industry leaders" visit schools to share their expertise and career advice.

The Future Talent Programme will also eventually exist beyond its initial roll-out to explore different career areas, such as marketing and communications and buying and merchandising.

Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council, said: "As a young person I never knew of the abundant and fulfilling careers available in the beauty and cosmetics industry. We want this programme to fast track young people towards suitable career options, thus ensuring we have a seamless flow of talent."

Gillian Keegan, Secretary of State for Education, said: "The beauty industry is a huge part of our daily lives - but its importance is more than skin deep. The industry is worth billions to our economy and as the Future Talent Programme will demonstrate, offers a great route for young people to launch careers in science and technology."