About Us

The Waverley Academy is an international accredited training academy that delivers a wide range of part time and fulltime courses in Hair, Beauty, Makeup,Sports, Fitness & Massage. It is a college with customer care and quality at the core of it’s ethos and has progressed to one Ireland’s leading colleges in its subject areas, providing life changing opportunities for many of it’s graduates.

Specialists In Adult Education

We speciaise in adult education for mature learners and for those returning to education, with a range of parttime courses at evenings, weekends and daytime. All our trainers have specialist training in these areas enabling them to creat a learning enviroment that is enjoyable and respects the needs of adult learners

Links With Schools

In November 2011 we launched a "Beauty In Schools Intiative" (B.I.S.I). The initiative has two main aims which are

• To provide students with impartial advice on careers in the hair and beauty industry
• To provide information on a sensible approach to beauty and use of cosmetics during school years

To assist with this initiative we have devolped a specific section on our website under 'helpful stuff' titled "schools". We also have developed fulltime programmes for hair & beauty for those who can dedicate more time to their studies

Links With Funding Agencies

Our relentless focus on quality assurance systems and awards that are mapped into the national qualifications framework has enabled us to establish excellent links with funding agencies. This has resulted in many of our learners (depending on personal circumstances) applying for, and recieving, part funding and grants towards our courses.

We can help you with this application process by supplying you with specific documentation required by Funding officers and agencies.

Why Us

• Qualifications that are recognised Nationally and Internationally
• Real opportunities for employment and career progression
• Excellent location and facilities
• A career that you've always wanted
• A college that is established since 1995

A Brief History

The story involves a group of dedicated people, whom with no academic backgrounds or business skills, have progressed to one of the largest private providers of education for the 'Look Good Feel Good' sectors in the country And it just so happens, that the core start up group of five are all family.

The story started back in 1995 as a one man operation. The company was known as the Irish Academy of Massage back then with an 'office' in a back bedroom and training rooms in a community centre in Walkinstown. And when a delivery of massage couches never arrived, the first massage class was delivered using canteen tables and duvet covers for cushioning.

Milestones and Exciting Developments

Fast forward 5 years to the year 2000 and the company had grown to the largest private provider of massage courses in the country with 5 different locations, 2 more staff members, 4 trainers, (and 'new' offices in the back garden.)

In 2005 we entered the area of Beautician education and moved into a 3000sq ft purpose built training facility, (and at last, proper offices).

In 2006 we reached another milestone with the addition of the ITEC teacher training diploma at our college (First ITEC college in the world to offer this service).  This enabled us to conduct our own in house teacher training and produce quality teachers for the industry and our own programmes. Over the past four years we have progressed to become the biggest Provider of ITEC teacher training programmes in the world.

2010 was a very exciting year in the companies history with several major developments. We launched a new training department for sports and Fitness, completed  a rebranding process to reflect the growth of the business which included a name change from The Irish Academy of Massage and Beauty Training to The Waverley Academy, and developed  a new online learning system were learners can now access documents, study aids and notes 24/7.

2011 has proved to be even more exciting as we have started the rollout of an expansion plan (5 years in the making) with new colleges in Santry and Cork and added a new training department of Hairdressing

The company now consists of 7 staff members and a team of 20 qualified trainers dedicated to customer support, curriculum development, research, and quality training.

What we offer

The Academy offers a variety of high quality courses that can be studied part time and full time, which range from one day workshops through to certificate and diploma programmes. Most of the programmes require no prior knowledge or qualifications and some of the courses enable graduates to start earning money after 1 day of training. Many of the awards carry national and international accreditations from ITEC and FETAC..

Courses on offer include Hairdressing, Hairstyling, Holistic massage - Sports Massage - Anatomy and physiology - Teacher training - Beauty specialist (includes make-up, waxing, manicure and pedicure and skincare and eye treatments) - Make-up (beginners and advanced) -  - Spray tanning - Nail technology - Eye Lash Extensions - Advanced waxing - Threading, Henna Body Art, Personal Training and Gym Instruction. We offer a first class service and have become synonymous with quality training and education with students travelling from all around the country to enrol on our programmes.

Excellence In Teaching

The establishment of a dedicated teacher training department has enabled us to produce some of the best teachers and trainers in the industry. This focus on quality training and delivery of programmes has reulted in students consistently been successful in their studies and exams with pass rates of 98.5% across all departments

We place a huge emphasis on catering for the learning needs of adults, in particular those returning to education. All of our tutors and trainers have been through academic and practical teacher training programmes which include educational pyschology and the principles of adult learning.

Support Systems

The Waverley Academy is now synomous with top calss support systems for its learners. With dedicated support staff and an online learning system, we now offer unsurpassed levels of support to assist learners through their studies.

We are the first company in the industry to supply multimedia learning aids for students which include DVD's, CD's and audio aids. The Waverley Academy is now Synonymous with quality training with pass rates averaging between 95% to 100% across all departments.

We have also developed the industries first suite of modules titled 'Essential Career Skills For Learning And Progressing You Career'. These online rescources cover topics such as Study Skills, Memory Techniques, CV preperation, Interview Skills and How to Start a Small Business.

The opportunities

There has never been a better time to train for a career in the Look Good, Feel Good and Wellness Sectors as they have become some of the biggest growth industries in the world offering a multitude of exciting career opportunities. These careers can also offer you the opportunity to be your own boss or start your own business.

Career pathways include, working from home or as a mobile therapist - salons - spas - cruise liners - skincare consultant - make-up artist - nail technician - cosmetics sales - travelling sales rep and trainer - salon or business owner, Personal Trainer, Gym Instructor. These careers can be a life changing experience offering the flexibility of a work life balance and rewarding career.

The benefits

Benefits include:

• Work from home
• Be your own boss
• Start your own business
• Work part time or full time
• Provide mobile treatments
• Fantastic job satisfaction
• Do something you love
• A variety of revenue streams

Thank you for taking the time to read this

Derek O Kelly

Principal and Director

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