Sorbet is South Africa’s premier retail beauty salon chain, offering a full range of beauty treatments and retail beauty products. In addition to this, its head office in Sandton features a Beauty Therapy Institute training college.

Beauty Therapy Institute is an internationally recognised and accredited education and training franchise operated by Sandy Roy. It offers courses in, among others, health, beauty, massage and skincare therapy either fulltime or on a flexi-time basis. The flexi part-time courses can be done individually or in various combinations, with the theory being learnt at home, through distance learning, and all practicals being undertaken on site at the school with a trained educator in continual attendance.

There are five Beauty Therapy Institutes in total, including BTI@Sorbet in Rivonia, which offer the flexi-time courses in Beauty (manis, pedis, facials, waxing, make-up on all levels); Body therapy (Swedish Massage, Nutrition and Body assessments, Body slimming electrical treatments etc); Complementary Therapy courses eg Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Indian Head massage. Sports Massage etc are also taught. Nail Technology and Lash Extensions are also extremely popular modalities offered. Students can either specialise in one individual skill to achieve a certificate or build up to a number of courses to eventually receive a diploma.

Ian Fuhr, Sorbet founder and owner, says this is what sets the Beauty Therapy Institute@Sorbet apart from other beauty training schools. “Modular training represents a unique and refreshing approach for people wanting to start a career as a beauty therapist, because the flexible part-time courses allow them to enrol at any time of the year and to complete their courses in their own time and at their own pace. There is a wide range of courses available, which means learners can select which ones they want to do most, and then focus on those specific subjects. This also makes pursuing a career in beauty so much more affordable,” he explains.

Roy, owner and director of the Beauty Therapy Institute group, says that by completing a combination of modular courses, learners can qualify as Beauty or Skincare Therapists with International accreditations. “Part-time learners have the same opportunities as our fulltime students. Once they have completed a combination of modular courses, they may enter the ITEC Internationally registered examinations and achieve either certificates or diplomas. This will assist them in gaining employment at spas, beauty and skincare salons, including nail bars– or even start their own practices – both in South Africa and abroad,” says Roy.

Another advantage offered by training at the Beauty Therapy Institute@Sorbet is that all graduates are guaranteed job interviews at Sorbet outlets. “We promise to interview every successful learner who has trained at any of the Beauty Therapy Institute colleges for potential part-time or fulltime employment in our chain of salons and nail bars, nationwide,” adds Fuhr.

Beauty Therapy Institute@Sorbet offers a total of 44 individual courses, starting as low as R800 for training, and 10 combination courses, beginning at R6400 for a combination.

The full time college in Cape Town enjoys full ITEC (UK), Comite International de esthetique et de cosmetology (CIDESCO – Switzerland) and South African Association of Health and Skin Care Specialists (SAAHSP) accreditation. These examination bodies grant successful graduating learners the relevant diplomas. ITEC is available at all five campuses in Cape Town, Rivonia, Randburg, Somerset West and Zambia.