​​Cook Up a Great Career with Classes, Schools and Internships at The Vocational Training Center of the ICT IDC

Has the wild popularity of television chef shows and chef celebrities motivated you to become a chef? The chef job market is growing: many working families are too busy to do their own cooking these days and prefer to eat out. With the right kind of training classes or courses and one of the many available culinary degrees, you could create a very satisfying career. 

For the majority of cooks and workers who prepare food, culinary arts education or training is required, as for the fast ones that could be leaving most skills to be acquired on the job. Training normally begins with basic safety and sanitation guidelines and continues with training on food handling, preparation, and cooking procedures.

A high school diploma is required for individuals aspiring to become professional chefs; however, it is not required for beginning-level jobs. Programs offer through high school or vocational schools may provide education in essential food safety and handling procedures as well as general business and computer classes for learners who want to manage or own a food establishment.

ICTIDC can offer a wide range of trainings through experience and summer schools across Europe.

Paid internships and summer employment are offered to beginners in this field through big corporations in the food services and hospitality industries. Internships can be beneficial, providing important experience and leading to placement in advanced chef training programs.

Getting Ready to Enter the Fashion & Beauty Industry Labor Market 

Globally, the fashion industry is worth over 1 Trillion Euro - 2% of the value of the entire world economy. Put in context, the global pharmaceutical industry (which supplies all the medicines in the world), is only valued at about €600 Billion, making it just over half the size of the fashion industry!

The beauty industry is in demand. It may surprise you to explore the wide and diverse range of career opportunities within it.  From small, locally owned beauty salons, nail bars and tanning salons, to high end spa resorts and cruise ships - career opportunities are wide and varied.

Beauty Salons

From professional beauty salons and department stores all around Ireland to exotic international locations, there are thousands of beauty salons offering a wide range of treatments – from facials & microdermabrasion to massage, makeup, waxing and body treatments, which are all covered in your training as a Beauty Therapist. Some beauty therapists move into related areas in the sector such as marketing, sales and retail roles with the big names such as L'Oreal, .

Makeup Artistry
Makeup is an exciting industry. Your skills in skincare, colour therapy and personal style will equip you to work as a make-up artist for catwalk, bridal, fantasy, remedial camouflage and other areas. Make-up artists create makeup and prosthetics for theatre, television and film. 
Make-up artistry jobs can be extremely well-paying too, especially in the modeling and photography world. If you have the skills and ability to display a face to its full potential, as well as establish a working relationship with the actor or person being worked on, you can build a very successful career in this area.

Massage
Massage is a rewarding skill, highly regarded by future employers as well as your friends and family! Treatments range from basic relaxation massage to reflexology, aromatherapy and more. You will have the option to diversify within the electives that are offered as part of your training programme.

Day Spas & Health Spas 
Health spas have become increasingly common and this area of the industry continues to do well. It offers many chances of employment for those who are qualified beauticians, personal trainers and holistic treatment specialists, who can provide a valued service to spa patrons. 
If you want to work in a spa environment close to home, day spas are a rapidly growing area. Therapists use natural products to promote relaxation. Treatments include vichy showers, hot stone therapy, even ancient ayurvedic health massages.

Management and training
If you enjoy managing people, you can work your way from spa coordinator to assistant manager, salon manager, even director of spa. There are also great opportunities in treatment development and in-house training in both product and spa brands.

Cruise ships 
For the adventurous, there are Day Spas on board luxury cruise liners. You’ll see the world in style and be paid to do what you love. With hundreds of cruise ships travelling the globe, there is no shortage of jobs.

Your own business 
You might one day opt to run your own beauty business. The possibilities are endless - working from home, managing a beauty salon or even operating a beauty training institute. 
The sector also offers many franchise opportunities, either in store locations, or for home based businesses. Frequently producers of beauty industry products will have a franchising distribution system, providing the opportunity for self-employment.

Image Consultancy 
Image consultants are specialists who combine all aspects of fashion, beauty and haircare into a single profession. They provide advice and expertise on all aspects of the way a person (or corporation) manages their public image. Image consultants and Make-up artists are mainly self-employed, but they may also be represented by an agency, or employed by a production company.

Tattooing
No one is entirely sure where, when or why tattooing began, but it is believed to have existed for at least 5,000 years, making it one of the few Stone Age practices to remain popular. Indigenous tribes in remote areas still adorn their bodies with tattoos that indicate their religious belief or social status, in the same way their ancestors did thousands of years ago. 
So how do you become a tattoo artist? 
Practical experience is the main thing. There is no formal training required to become a tattoo artist in Ireland. There is also no legislation regulating body piercing and tattooing. It's a visual and creative medium, so it helps to be artistic. 
Artists in the trade recommend getting a portfolio of design work together that will impress, and to think about what you can offer the tattoo industry. A Degree in illustration or graphic Design might give you the edge over other candidates. Apprenticeships or internships are feasible, but there are lots of people chasing a few places, so you have to be able to impress. The apprentice will typically receive formal/informal training in the areas of: proper studio hygiene, cleaning equipment, learning how  tattoo equipment works, and the many techniques of tattooing human skin. 

Hairdressing
Hairdressing is much more than just a great way to earn a living - it can be a hugely rewarding career path.  For contemporary hair stylists, the hair trade is becoming more and more fashion and beauty focused. Large chain hairdressing companies have taken hairdressing to a new level, into a glamorous, glitzy, modern world. Today, getting your haircut means a funky modern salon, with widescreen televisions and the latest music filling the air and modern hairdressing has excellent earning potential for the talented stylist.
Hairdressers may be employed either in unisex salons, or in women only, men only salons or Barber Shops.  A Hairdresser spends most of the day on their feet and are usually required to work flexible hours to fit in with salon hours of business. Hairdressers have a high level of contact with the public and so need to be well-presented and outgoing, with good communication skills.
A hairdresser's job will include tasks such as shampooing and conditioning hair; cutting hair using clippers, scissors or razors; styling hair using brushes, hairdryers, curling tongs, straighteners and any number of other tools. As well as cutting and styling, general hairdressers also provide services such as bleaching, conditioning, permanent waving, straightening and tinting, and advising clients on hair care products. In the larger salons, some staff specialise either in styling or colouring, and the annual sector competitions and awards in these areas are huge events on the hairdressing calendar. Hair care products have become a significant area of the hairdressing industry in recent years, and account for a high percentage of salon turnover. In many of the large salon chains, commission on retail sales, as well as on weekly turnover generates a significant amount of weekly earnings, over and above basic pay.Progression in this sector is based on talent and building up a client base. Many stylists eventually open their own business. Some progress to work in the world of Fashion or TV and film.

Wigmaker
Wig-making is currently a major growth area for the hairdressing sector. Wig-makers typically work in either the theatrical, or cosmetic field. Work in the theatrical industry may include making wigs for actors and actresses performing in plays, films or television.  Cosmetic wig-making can involve making hairpieces for private individuals, hair salons, hair loss treatment centres or other distributors.

The ready availability of high quality wigs in recent years, has been a major support, for the necessity wearer, and for women in particular. Demand by fashion wearers has resulted in the appearance of many fashion wig outlets across the country, supplying wigs and hair extensions fashioned from a wide range of natural hair and artificial fibres. Some hairdressers go on to specialise in the cutting and styling of wigs and this area too has become a feature of the hairdressing business.

Training
There is no single certification in Europe that recognizes you a qualified hairdresser. Some salons will take on trainees for a 3 or 4 year apprenticeship*, teaching them all the skills involved. 
Some salons run private schools of hairdressing offering fee-paying courses that run for 12-18 months. The schools may offer some students employment in the salon at the end of the training period. Private hairdressing schools offer standalone qualifications which can often be combined with related courses in beauty, make-up and nails.
There are many opportunities in the industry and good Hairdressers are always in demand. The majority of Hairdressers are employed in hairdressing salons with most salons employing between four and six people, with some of the larger chains of salons employing much larger numbers of Hairdressers. Opportunities for creative Hairdressers can also be found in TV, film, theatre, fashion houses and advertising agencies. 

Training for a Career the Beauty Industry

Careers in the beauty industry start with training. Some will require an undergraduate degree - these are often in the business-end of the industry and include accounts, regional sales, marketing and product management.

Most people train by taking a full-time course at a further education college or a private beauty school. Entrants can be anything from seventeen years old upwards. It takes about two years of training and study to complete the three main areas of Beautician, Body Therapy and Electrolysis. 

The EU is a huge labour market. Completing a training programme in an EU country and thus being able to live and work in currently 28 member states is a unique model worldwide and one that offers many development opportunities.

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Gaining experience abroad and international skills are not only an important topic for students. It's also very attractive for trainees to spend some time in another country, learn the language there and make new contacts. 

Trainees receive support for stays abroad within the EU, for example through the Erasmus+ programme. Due to freedom of movement within the EU, training can also be carried out completely in another member state.

​In addition to language skills, young people can, for example, develop their intercultural competence. They learn to deal with other cultures. While learning to take a broader view, they learn a lot about themselves, their own origins and see many things in a new light that concern them. They will face new, potentially challenging situations in which they are left to their own devices. They become more independent and develop their personality. For many young people, the 'European idea' and Europe are automatically linked to the EU Erasmus programme. The programme enables many people to experience multilingualism, working, travelling and living abroad and thus also to experience Europe.