Beauty Therapy Course at SERC Gives Youth Worker Ruth the Tools to Help Others

Returning to education to do a course in Beauty Therapy was always on the agenda for Ruth McKeon, who recently took the plunge and is completing the part time Level 2 NVQ Beauty Therapy course at SERC’s Bangor Campus, to use in her role as a youth worker.

Ruth (37), from Bangor, says, “I attended what was then Bangor Girls’ High School up until A-Levels, and then took a year out to work at the Marine Court Hotel to figure out what I wanted to do next. I ended up getting into youth work and applied for a Youth and Community Work course at Ulster University in 2007. After getting my degree, I began working full-time as a youth worker in Kilcooley Estate, which I did for several years before moving into restorative justice. I am currently working as a full-time youth worker at Lakewood Regional Secure Centre for young people in care.”

“For such a long time I had always wanted to do Beauty Therapy. I had looked at the Level 2 NVQ Beauty Therapy course at SERC before, but the timing was never entirely right until after the Covid pandemic. I got a lot of support from the principal at my work and have been given evening release to attend the class in Bangor. I am hoping to use therapeutic interventions as complementary services in my current job, because the people I work with are young people who have struggles with mental health and trauma.”

Of her return to the classroom, Ruth says, “Since doing this course, I have really enjoyed getting back into the world of learning and getting my mind working again, which has been very therapeutic for me. There is a real variety of learning including practical work, PowerPoint presentations, written and computer work, which fits all types of learning and has been something I have really enjoyed. On a personal note, it has been nice to do a course I have always wanted to do, and I like the informal, fun, and interactive approach while socialising with the other students.”

She continues, “At my work, we have a salon, and I have had the young people in as my models, which has been lovely. We teach them a lot about self-care, so this course has been great in giving me a lot of information about how to do this appropriately.  It is also a really good way to open new avenues in therapy, by talking about things such as our hair and skin and tapping into a world that they know, while teaching them about how to manage their own health and self-care. In the future, I would love to progress to the Level 3 Beauty Therapy course, and one day set up a holistic therapy centre for the young people to use.”

Ruth concludes, “My advice for anyone who is thinking of coming to SERC or doing this course would be to go for it. SERC is a great place to study, and no matter your age, I would encourage them to just do it!”

If you're interested in learning more about the NVQ Level 2 or Level 3 in Beauty Therapy or other part-time courses, come along to SERC on Wednesday 7 June between 5pm and 8pm at the College’s Bangor Campus for our Adult Education Open Evening. Visit www.serc.ac.uk to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.